Deep Blue
by yesterdaysmaybe
Summary: Tifa Lockheart is a girl curious about the world around her, in a place where so much is not allowed. Cloud Strife is not a good person. He is no one's friend, and he is definitely no one's hero. So how the hell did he wind up in this fairy tale?
1. Cloud's Diary, Entry One

_**Hello! So this is the start of a new story I've had buzzing in my head for the past month now. I've currently got other projects on this site in the works and I know I really should finish one before starting another but I couldn't resist! This is a Cloti fic that hope many of you enjoy so sit back, relax and enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or the characters within. Suck.**_

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_**Cloud's Diary, Entry One**_

_Dear Diary,_

_Oh screw that shit. I'm just gonna write this out-plain and simple. Hey. My name is Cloud Strife, and I am the not-so-proud owner of this notebook. ( Calling It a diary sounds girly.) Tell you something about myself? Okay. I live in Neimbelheim which is a small town by the sea. So that means everyone knows everyone here, so that means everyone here knows all about everyone else's shit. Do I have family here? Yeah. I live with my Mom. ( I'm seventeen by the way.) My Dad died when I was three so no, no Dad. Do I have friends here? Fuck no. Why? Because I am the definition of social outcast here. That's why. Remember me saying everyone knows everyone else's shit? well, here's my shit.  
_

_My Mom's name is Eliza Strife, and my Dad's name was James Sawyer. Mom and Dad were high school sweethearts. So being as madly in love as they were Mom got knocked up with me when she was about sixteen. Well, maybe it's because people in this town are so uptight. Or maybe it's because this town is so closed-off from the rest of the world. Or maybe it's just full of idiots who are just too narrow-minded for their own damn good. However you wanna call it, when it comes down to it Mom's pregnancy was the town's biggest scandal at the time. Pregnant outside of wedlock and under age. The shame! So Mom's parents kicked her out of the house, and with nowhere to go she wound up staying with Dad. Actually, from what I hear grandpa and grandma Sawyer were pretty cool about the whole situation. All they asked for was Mom to make sure I was healthy, and for Dad to get a job to support us. He ended up getting a job as a maintenance man on a cargo ship._

_Dad was devoted to Mom, and vice versa. With my grandparent's help they found a way to make it all work, so nine months later I come in to the picture. Now remember: Mom and Dad were teenagers and unmarried, so when I was born I was already known town-wide as a mistake. Now throw in the fact that Mom and Dad never tied the knot-ever...yeah I was pretty much screwed from the minute I started breathing. I remember asking Mom why they never got married. She said they were wild and crazy when they were younger. High school partying, drinking, sex ( Obviously.) So they were very rebellious. Oh, sure. They cut down on all of the above when she got pregnant with me. But that rebellious streak never went away. They decided not to ever get married simply because everyone kept telling them to. Personally I congratulate them. If it were me I know I'd probably do the same thing. Them getting married wouldn't have changed anything anyway. If it's not one thing the town would just find something else to sneer at. People here are just determined like that._

_Now fast forward three years and our situation goes from screwed to hell. Like I said Dad was a ship mechanic. One day the ship he was on got caught up in a really bad storm. Now I could probably make this more in-depth and personal by adding in more details. What I remember about that day, how we got the news, how Mom couldn't stop crying for days...but why bother? It's done. Besides I'm already writing more in this damn thing than I thought I would. So long story short: The ship went down and took Dad and the crew with it. The town mourned their loved ones with garlands of flowers and big gatherings at the church. Dad's funeral was simple. Just me, Mom and my grandparents Sawyer. Yeah. Nothin' but love for us, huh?_

_Such is my life._

_So what's been going on since then? Fucking bullshit, that's what. I have no friends because I'm the bastard son of a dead sailor and Neimbelheim's biggest high school slut. ( Their words-not mine.) So that automatically makes me the bad guy. Maybe that's where all of this...rage comes from. Okay, so by now you pretty much know all about me. So it's no surprise that I'm a screwed-up mess, right? I started " acting out" pretty soon after Dad died. If I had to pin point the exact " when" of it all, then I think it really started when I was eight. I remember us going to the grocery store one day, and out of nowhere this little red-head shit decided to shove Mom and she dropped her purse. Then the little bastard kicks it away from her. His mom made him apologize she...she had this superior look on her face. Her and her boy. Like Mom had it coming. I see blood. Next thing I know I'm pounding the kid's face in over and over._

_People are screaming, the kid's squealing like a pig and bleeding from his snotty nose, and Mom was crying. I think that was the only reason why I stopped. I hate it when Mom cries. So yeah-okay enough of that. That little punk started it and every other kid fell in line after that. So I pretty much got in to fights every day. Hell at this point I don't think my day would be complete without one. This rage I have...I guess it's always been there. But lately it's gotten worse. Before I used to just trash-talk and cuss-out whoever pissed me off. Maybe finish with a slug in the face. Just one. But hey, if they want more then who am I to deny them? What is it those stupid politicians always say? Give the people what they want. But lately...maybe in the past couple of years I guess, my " Fits" have been getting worse. I've tried to keep to a kind of code of honor. Heavily instilled by my mother by the way. Don't ever be the one to start the fight, but finish it if I have to. Don't hit anyone weaker than me. Don't hit women or kids ( even if they deserve it.) Don't steal. That's something only real bullies do and contrary to popular belief, I'm not the bad guy. But this inexplainable rage I keep having... It's making it very hard to remember my code. Just two days ago the head cheerleader ( Her name is Scarlet Monroe and she is the definition of stereotype. Blonde. Pretty. Rich. Superficial. Whatever.) She tripped me in the hall while I was on my way to science. The she said " Oops!" and smirked at me. She gave me that look. You might know the one. The look that says you're trash. Usually when she pulls shit like that I can just ignore her. I'll be angry as hell but I won't do anything. But that day, I just kinda lost it. _

_I knocked her books right out of her hand with a hard slap to her wrists, then I shoved her as hard as I could away from me. Judging by the hard bang of the metal I knew she'd hit her back pretty hard. So then I said oops. Partly to piss her off. But it was also partly because unlike her, I actually meant it. I hadn't meant to shove her so hard. __That little love tap has earned me a week of suspension. Not that I'm complaining much. One week of no school, no people to dodge around or to piss me off in general. Amen. But Mom seems to think she's running out of options. I know it's been hard on her. And I know I don't make it any easier. But it's been fucking hard on me too, y'know? So this is where you come in, Notebook. Mom says I need to express myself and not keep my feelings inside or whatever. So she's making me write in this. It's either this or she's threatened to take me to see a shrink. With my rep being what it is, words gets out that I need psychiatric help would be icing on the cake, wouldn't it? So here I am._

_So to re-cap I'm the town bastard, emotional mess and all around loser. Who likes to hit things. And I have anger issues. And my magic cure all is this damn notebook. " The pen is mightier than the sword." I've heard that somewhere before. Yeah. Allow me to reserve judgment on that one, okay? So Mom says she wants me to figure out where all of my anger comes from. Uh, THE TOWN?! THE IDIOTS IN IT?! What's to figure? Anger's anger. Though I have considered that a contributing factor could be that I'm a teenager, hormones and all. It's like everything gets on my nerves now. Even something simple like Mom telling me to clean my room is like nails on a chalkboard. In my head I know she just loves me, wants what's best for me, yadda, yadda, yadda. But emotionally I just wanna throw something at her. it's my fucking room! My space! I'll clean it when I want to! I control nothing in my life! Can't I at least control how I keep my GODDAMN ROOM?! Okay, okay. I get it. Throwing a bitch fit about my room is kinda lame but like I said-_

**_" Cloud?!" Hands clenched in to fists as his pen is forced to still. Teeth grit. Hold it together. " Cloud?!" She's closer now. The bedroom door opens as Eliza Strife leans against the doorframe, sighing quietly. She brushes back her lovely golden blonde hair to stare at her son. Cloud slowly spins around in his chair to glare at her. The young man is very much like her in the looks department. Same blonde hair. Same blue eyes. Even certain aspects of his face were similar. One could easily say he had his mother's pale skin, her cheekbones. Even her smile on the rare occasion he cared to. He had heard before that if Eliza had been born a man, she would look like him. Blue met blue and Eliza sighed. " Cloud, I've been calling you for the last five minutes. What are you doing?"_**

**_ Wordlessly Cloud held up the notebook, waving it pointedly before letting it drop back down on to the surface of his desk. Her expression cleared and she smiled brightly at him. " Oh, you're writing! That's so great, Honey!" Cloud just shrugged his shoulders, If she said so... " Well, dinner's ready so put that away." A spike of anger. A brush of annoyance. First she wants him to write, now she doesn't want him to write. Can't she make up her mind?! _**_' Don't get mad. Don't yell. Not at her. She gets enough in her day as it is.'** He closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. Then he opened his eyes again to stare at her.**_

_**" Okay. Can you just gimme a minute to finish? You said you wanted me to do it, so I want it done." he didn't yell at her. He silently congratulated himself on that. But his anger was unfortunately, loud and clear. Eliza gave him a hard stare, one that said ' Don't start with me' and shook her head.**_

_**" Well I'm glad you're writing, Dear but... You know this isn't something you can just get out all at once, right? You need to be doing this every time you-" His glare intensified. That seemed to be the only one she needed. Eliza sighed again quietly and stepped forward. " Cloud-"**_

_**" I just need a minute, Okay?" He'd made his tone softer, but the anger refused to fade from his eyes. His mother smiled softly at him, but her eyes held only sadness. She suddenly seemed so much older to him.**_

_**" Okay, but hurry up or dinner will go cold."**_

_**" Fine." She stepped back then closed the door behind her. Cloud turned back around to his desk, clenching the sides as he breathed heavily through his nose. He felt like he'd just run a marathon. He flipped quickly though the pages, counting them. Seven pages worth? Damn. Where was he? Cloud scanned through his entry before he found the last paragraph. Oh yeah. He took up his pen then finished the though he had on the page. Then he threw down his pen and sat back in his chair. What was it going to take for everything to just. Be. Quiet? Cloud shoved himself up and strode out of his room, his latest entry bold against the page of his notebook. He'd pressed the pen down pretty hard.**_

**' I'm just too angry to care!'**

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**Done!_ So what do you think? Please R&amp;R and bless your happy happiness!_**


	2. Home Sweet Home

_**Hello and welcome back to another chapter of Deep Blue! Thanks for the reviews so far you guys are awesome! And for those of you familiar with my past stories don't worry, I haven't forgotten them! Right now I am in the midst of writing chapters for both " Ghost Story" and " Grey." In the meantime sit back and enjoy the ride! Disclaimer: Do I own the characters or the game? In the immortal words of Alanis Morrisette: You, you, you-oughtta know! (No.)**_

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_**Home Sweet Home**_

_**Dinner was an awkward affair. It wasn't the food. By his standards, and pretty much everyone else's Eliza Strife was one of the best cooks in town. They could say whatever they wanted to about her but in the end it was always her food that was cleared away first during town get-togethers. Not that Cloud ever felt inclined to join. Tonight's meal was no exception: Mashed potatoes seasoned with chicken bullion, topped off with creamy beef and mushroom gravy. A hearty meatloaf peppered with Cajun seasonings, and finally a light garden salad served with ranch dressing and warm garlic toast. No, the food was definitely not the problem. The problem lie with the chef in question. His mother. Cloud wasn't a big talker. Nice and quiet was how he liked it best. But as it sometimes happens, Eliza was the exact opposite of her son. She liked chit-chat, silly stories or simple polite conversation between friends. Silence was stifling to her. And whenever she tried to initiate a conversation with Cloud it usually turned in to some form of fight. **_

_**Last time she had tried starting a conversation with him was just two days ago...**_

_' So Cloud, I heard that your school is planning on putting on a play for the town's library benefit fund." The local library was one of the town's historical sites. It was said that during one of the continent's civil wars, Atenawa, chief of Cosmo Canyon back then, escaped capture from Shinra and hid out in the town. Specifically in the library's attic, where he later established the " Brotherhood of the brave." And thus the attic was used to plan many undercover operations and, to hide people who were unjustly put to the death sentence as displays of power. Atenawa and these people became the first group to openly oppose the Shinra conglomerate and fight to end enslavement of the poorer people. In short-the site of the beginning of what would come to be known as " The Brave Revolution." They won, and Shinra was forced to cease all enslavement and leave these lands in peace. That was over two hundred years ago. Now the building was beginning to wear, and there was talk of the building becoming condemned unless the town could raise the money it needed to fund the repairs needed to keep it standing. Eliza thought it was sad that such a treasured piece of history could be thrown away so carelessly and so quickly._

_Cloud could care less._

_Per her inquiry he swallowed his mouthful of beef stew and then nodded once. " Yeah." Eliza tapped her finger on her mug, waiting for him to say more. Cloud kept eating. Okay..._

_" The play this year is ' Macbeth', right?"_

_"...Yeah."_

_"...Are you going to try out?" A dubious stare across the table was all the answer she needed. " Oh, but Cloud you really should try out for a part. You always read so eloquently..." She was speaking of the times when he was younger. As he began learning how to read at some point it became custom for him to read her the bedtime stories at night. Anything from Mother Goose, and Shakespear's Sonnets to C.S. Lewis. Of course, those days had faded long ago. But still she always had praised him on his ability to put life in to whatever he read._

_" That's reading. Acting's different." He stated this in a tone that suggested that she ought to have known better. That made her temper spark just a little. She did not like being talked down to by anyone-and she wasn't about to take it from her own son._

_" I know that, Cloud. I was only suggesting that you try to get involved a little more." She huffed. Cloud lowered his spoon as he grit his teeth in annoyance. " Maybe if you weren't such a recluse you might have a few friends-" _

_" So you're saying it's my fault that no one like me." He had spoken softly enough, but the hard tones of anger were already evident. She rubbed her temples and tried to calm his ever-present anger._

_" No, I'm just saying that it's no good for anyone to be as alone as you are, Baby. I-" Cloud set his spoon down firmly, the clatter louder than a car crash to their tiny kitchen. _

_" I would rather be on my own that be one of those damn short-dicks." She gasped-in what might have been awe or anger or maybe both. Cloud didn't pay her any attention as he kept talking. " I don't need anyone here, Mom. " Her spark turned to fire and she staed at him with all the power she had in her eyes, making the blue irises dance like cold flame._

_" So you don't need me?" She challenged. Cloud reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he fought to ward off an on-coming headache._

_" Mom, please-you know that's not what I meant!"_

_" I don't know what you mean anymore, Cloud! I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE!" The moment she shouted those words at him she regretted it. He looed up at her from his seat at the table, and the hurt and anger were enough to make her feel lower than dirt. Her anger left as quickly as it had come and her hands flew to her mouth. " Cloud, I'm so sorry! I just..." She wanted to say she didn't mean a single word of it, but could she when her precious little boy was growing in to an angry, lonely, cold-hearted man? She sniffled as a tear escaped her eyes and dripped in to her hand. Blinking rapidly she reached for him, her boy. " Cloud-"_

_" May I be excused?" He stood up abruptly at her movement as he made his request. Not waiting for an answer he walked out of the kitchen and upstairs to his room, where his door was shut with a shotgun's bang. Eliza folded her arms on the table and buried her face to cry. Across from her his stew sat silent, partially finished and growing cold. In his room Cloud sat on his bed, looking out of the window as he tried very hard to remember that crying did no one any good. It was bad enough that everyone here hated him. That he could handle. But what he couldn't handle was one lingering thought._

_" Mom...is disappointing you all I'll ever do?" And despite his best efforts, a single tear escaped the stronghold he'd forced on his eyes and fell from his face.'_

**_After that they both simply let things go back to the way they were. A silent truce always seemed to be established whenever they had a fight. That was past. Brush it off like it never happened. Start all over again tomorrow. Now she was sitting across from him again, and once again the silence was uncomfortable to her. Both of them felt the strong sense of deja vu hovering over them. Cloud knew she wanted to talk to him, but what the fuck were they supposed to talk about? His friends? Nonexistent. His girlfriend? Also Nonexistent. School activities he was involved in? An idea of pure fiction. Well that left only one topic: Her. Eliza Strife worked as a waitress in the local tavern, and the job was surprisingly not bad. She was always allowed to keep the tips she earned and since the food always had to be fresh, she was always able to bring home some form of cake or pie, sometimes even leftover steak for free. _**_' Yeah those are fine, but Mom's are better.'** He thought. Still free food was free food so Cloud tended to not complain much. At times when employee hours were cut, it was that free food that became their source of sustenance for the day.**_

_**Deciding to break the silence first, Eliza cleared her throat and took a fork to her salad. " So, how was your day?" She ventured, taking a bite.**_

_**"...Fine. How was yours?" She raised her brows in mild surprise. Cloud usually never offered to talk at the table. Smiling a little she decided to tell him about the funniest thing that happened to her today.**_

_**" It was okay, although I think I embarrassed my manager." Cloud chewed on his meatloaf, then swallowed before asking.**_

_**" How?" She giggled, and forked another bite of her greens.**_

_**" Well, there was this guy who kept whistling at me for service. Y'know that's actually a pet peeve of mine. If you need me, then call me. Whistling at someone is just so irritating." She grumbled. Cloud chewed silently, but from the focus of his eyes she knew he was listening. That fact alone made her smile even brighter. " So anyway, Jerkface is whistling for me, so I stop cleaning the tables and start looking around under them." Cloud frowned and arched an eyebrow at her. **_

_**" Why?"**_

_**" The jerk asked about that, too. He said he was trying to call me over. So I stood up and said: " Sorry, Sir. I thought you were whistling for your dog." It didn't help any that my manager happened to be standing right behind me when I said it." **__**The two of them sat silent for three seconds. Then Cloud's lips turned up in to a humorous smirk and he snorted over his plate, followed by a low chuckle. Across from him his mother started giggling happily. She did it. She actually made him laugh...**_

_**" Then what happened?" Eliza took a drink of her tea before answering him with a smile.**_

_**" The guy just stared at me like I had two heads while the manager began apologizing over and over again. And to make it worse his wife was hiding behind her menu, she was so embarrassed." Another quiet laugh from Cloud. " When I came back to the table, there was a twenty-gil tip on the table for me. I think she left it for me because he embarrassed her."**_

_**" Hn, Nice." The conversation stopped then, with only the clink of silverware on plates as the dinner was eaten. But the silence that followed was a welcome one. Comfortable. And when dinner was done, Eliza washed the dishes and Cloud helped her to dry them. The night was peaceful, the house blissfully calm. She decided that now was as good a time as any. As he began climbing up the stairs she called out to him.**_

_**" Cloud, wait." He paused on the third step up and looked down quizzically at her. " There's something I've been meaning to give you." Curious Cloud descended the stairs as she reached in to her jean pocket to retrieve her present to him. She held out her hand and opened her palm. It was a ring of pure stainless steel, and it took the shape of a ferocious wolf, a ring of silver clamped down between it's fangs. It was an amazing piece of jewelry. And she wanted him to have this? As if reading his mind she nodded and kept her palm open. " For you." Cloud took the ring and slipped it on to the ring finger on his left hand. It fit perfectly. " It was your father's."**_

_**Cloud looked up from the ring, unable to hide the surprise on his face. This awesome ring was his Dad's? " James always had that ring, you know. I never knew where he got it. " She pondered this small mystery for a moment. " He gave it to me to hold on to every time he had to go to sea. He'd ask me to keep it safe for him until he came home. Didn't want to lose it in the water, he'd say. That was always his excuse." She laughed, rolling her eyes at the mention of it. " But I always knew why he let he keep it." She walked forward and took Cloud's hand in her own, stroking his palm like she used to when he was little. " He let me keep it with me because he always knew how much I missed him when he was away. So he would give me the ring to let me feel like he was still here." His mom kissed his hand and looked up in to his eyes. " I know he would want you to have it."**_

_**"...Mom..." And as she came forward to him he gathered her in his arms hand held her close, inhaling her scent of perfume and honey. He was sorry to admit that he had very few memories of his father, other than one or two innocuous things. He remembered loving it when his dad sang for him, strumming his guitar. He remembered the time his dad had taken him to the beach, tossing him in the ocean's waves to let him ride back to the shore. And then James started cracking up when a piece of seaweed flopped unceremoniously on to his head during one big wave. Still he had laughed with the man at his own mess. the only time he could remember laughing so hard. Three years old and he'd still managed to remember. Physically all he had of his dad was a picture of him sitting on the beach, one knee drawn up to rest his arm on as he stared out at the water.**_

_**His dark blonde hair had been wind-tossed in the picture, his blue-grey eyes staring out at the water. It was obvious it was a candid shot, and it was the only picture they had of him. And while he had just enough memories to miss him, he knew his mother missed him ten times more. So naturally the fact that she gave him his Dad's ring was something he treasured at once. They broke apart and his mother cleared her throat and waved him off. " Now get to bed, Dear. Just because you've been suspended for the week doesn't mean you won't have plenty to do tomorrow. I need your help around the house so get some rest, okay?" He nodded obediently and kissed her on the cheek. **_

_**" Thanks, Mom. I swear I won't lose it." She ruffled his hair, earning her an annoyed grunt from her son. He turned back up the stairs and began his ascent up to his room.**_

_**" I know you won't. I love you, Cloud." He paused and turned around.**_

_**" Love you too." He tuned back to the stairs and walked to his room and then closed the door. He changed out of his clothes in to a simple pair of grey sweat pants and slid under the covers. The moonlight shown brightly between his curtains and he put one hand behind his head, the other he rested in the covers around his waist, staring at the wolf on his hand as it glinted in the moonlight. The fact that he was now wearing his father's ring felt so surreal to him. A picture was one thing. To have something physical that he actually had owned once put him out of that place of stories and legends and put him in the real world. James Sawyer had really been here once. With his mother. With him. Soon his eyes grew heavy, and the wolf's form dimmed as his eyes finally closed.**_

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_**Done! Now this chapter had two purposes: One was an inside look at what life is like at home for Cloud, establishing his relationship with his mom. And two: The ring-which will play an important part later in the story. Oh, and for those of you who don't know the name James Sawyer, he's a character from the t.v show " Lost." And is what Cloud's father is based off of. Look up Josh Holloway and you'll see what Cloud's " Dad" looks like. In my head his mom looks like Sophia Myles. Lol. anyways next chapter we'll get to see Tifa YAAAAAY! As always please R&amp;R and bless your happy happiness!**_


	3. In Need Of An Escape

**_Hey people! Sorry it took a little while to get this up. My computer was acting dumb and I lost like the first nine paragraphs so I had to re-type it. Anyways here is the next chapter of Deep Blue. Enjoy!_**

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**_In Need Of An Escape_**

**_She tilted her head to the left, narrowing her eyes as she struggled to understand what she was seeing. Well, okay she understood the meaning of what was in front of her enough: It was an old painting, encased by a heavy glass case of some sort which protected it. It looked so real, that she half-expected the subject of the art to start talking to her any second now. In the painting was a man with light brown hair tied back by a shimmering silk ribbon at the nape of his neck, letting his long hair fall over his shoulder. He wore a dark green material around his arms and then a frilly white something underneath. On his legs were tight black things that covered his legs and polished shiny somethings covered his feet and stretched up to his calves. His striking green eyes seemed to be staring straight through her, with a calculating kind of intelligence, yet his handsome face seemed so open and kind. She could tell by the sheer amount of skill it would have taken to create this piece of art that whomever this man was, he was important. From his frilly clothes right down to the strong straightness of his back._**

**_ Yes, Tifa understood this piece of art very well._**

**_What she simply could not comprehend was this: How in the sea could this man maneuver with those two legs? They seemed strong enough, but how did he swim? How did he hunt? Could he hunt? How did he move around? They didn't look very suitable to the task of movement. How did he rise up? Dive down? Move him with speed from one place to another? In her mind she tried to picture it. What if her tail had split in to two? Well, all she could conjure up was a bloody mess and two separate halves of what should be whole flailing uselessly about her. After several long moments of staring she sighed and gave it up as a lost cause. Perhaps such knowledge just wasn't hers to own. She looked down at the plaque and read the name inscribed there: Louis Pointe' Du'Lac, 1799 AD. Well, whomever he was at least he...No. Louis was here to keep her company._**

**_" Hey, Tifa!" And then there were two. Tifa turned around and smiled as a young Merboy swam through the small gap in the ship's window to hover in front of her. At the age of fifteen Sora was at that tender place in life. Not a child, yet not quite a man. Not Yet. And he was already so tall-almost two inches taller than her! His spiky brown hair waved gently around him as his tail, a light shade of navy in the form of a dolphin tail, flexed slowly to keep his place in the water. His sparkling blue eyes shined with curiosity as he took in the picture of Louis behind her. Sora crossed wiry arms over a lean, lightly muscled chest and tilted his head quizzically. " What's with the human?" Tifa shrugged and turned back around to the painting._**

**_" His name is Louis, and I found him in the sand near the coral beds. Isn't he so interesting?" Sora smirked and with a snap of his tail swan closer to hover next to her._**

**_" Y'know, when I said you needed to find a guy your Dad would like, I didn't mean for you to find a picture of one. I mean," He circled around her to get a closer look at the man in the large painting. " Sure he's tall, handsome, obviously rich and, best part; He won't touch you. So, yeah. Your Dad'll love 'em. Now if only he had a proper tail the he'd be perfect!" _**

**_" Oh, ha, ha." She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, brushing back the hair that had floated in front of her eyes. At sixteen years old, e_****_ven by the sea people's standards Tifa was something of an oddity. She was a constant contrast in the eyes of her people. By anyone's standards she was one of the most beautiful women these waters have ever known. Long dark hair the color of nightfall, eyes as red and deep as garnets. Her moon-like pale skin made what colors she possessed on her tail contrast sharply, brining her vibrancy even further to the foreground. Full lips, a slender build and breasts that might have been endowed by Aphrodite herself. But unlike some women who preferred to bare their breasts, Tifa always wore a woven seaweed bra to preserve some of her modesty. Yes, she was a true beauty. But sadly, she was also a young woman who was often avoided the most. Why? Because of one outstanding fact too dangerous to ignore: Tifa was the daughter of a Law Keeper._**

_**The ocean's world has no kings or queens, no presidents or dictators. Only the Law Keepers. The Law Keepers were just that: Chosen diplomats who upheld the laws of the seas, and they alone held the right to judge crime and punishment. Currently there were four people of power who roamed the seas. The first was a merman named Lazard. He is a man of slender build with sleek blonde hair and deep green eyes. His tail has the same bearing of a barracuda, long but with a speed that makes him one of the fastest mermen around. He is known for his rational thinking skills and his kind demeanor. If a crime is committed in his part of the ocean, he is one who would sentence the guilty party to a time of hard labor. Perhaps time in banishment, if the crime is severe enough.**_

_**The second Law Keeper is a man who's moral standards can make even the staunchest warrior feel like a child. Angeal is his name. He is often described as a quiet man, who's deep indigo eyes alone held enough power to render a shark absolutely still. He is known for his strong build and a prowess in battle to match. The tail of the orca whale is his trademark, who's fins are so strong they can render an opponent unconscious for days should he strike with it in battle. He is a true warrior-one who holds honor above all else. If a crime should be committed in his part of the waters, he would be the sort to sentence one to hard battle training, labor and service to others. Many have often said that without his guidance they would be lost among the darkest of waters. However, the third Law Keeper is one whom could be as kind as he could be cruel. With a calculating mind and a temperament as ever-changing as a tide during the full moon, one never knew what to expect from him.**_

_**The third Law Keeper is a man known as Genesis, and one would always do well to never cross him in his own waters. His entire body looks like it was made from blood: Bloody red hair, skin so pale it seems almost devoid of life, eyes as red as hellfire...and a dark red tail in the like of a beta, where the tips of his fins fade to black. He is a literary man who scours the shipwrecks and tomes graced to the sea for books to further his knowledge. His poetry is renowned-as renowned as his temper. Should one cross his laws the punishment could be anything from time in banishment to charity work for others. But if he is in a foul mood then there is only one sentence Genesis will give. Death.**_

_**And death is the only kind punishment you will receive from the last of the four. His name is Sephiroth and is known far and wide as nothing but a demon. His long white hair always maintains a certain stillness even in the roughest waters. His sharp green eyes are like poison, the pupils mere slits like a serpent. A jet black shark's tail is his signature-an omen of death and foreboding the like of which only the deepest of denizens might know. His voice washes over one like ice: Cool and smooth yet biting and utterly unfeeling. Should any laws be broken in his presence you can only expect torture or death. No alternatives. Among the four Sephiroth is the only one who believes in no second chances. For anyone.**_

_**Together the four of them kept the peace to the four corners of the ocean. Angeal to the north, Lazard to the east, Genesis to the south, and Sephiroth to the west. It is in these western waters Tifa lives, and Sephiroth is her father. That was why so many people were as confounded by her as they were afraid of her. Her father-a man who knew not the meaning of mercy, had raised her on his own. And Tifa was as unlike her father as night was to day. Tifa was kind and compassionate almost to a fault. Her warm smile and generous nature endeared her to others. But for fear of committing some unknown offense to her father many stayed away. Tifa had only one true friend in all of the ocean: Sora.**_

_**He was always bright and optimistic, happy and always eager to explore. They had known each other for years and they had become like siblings to one another. He knew her better than anyone, and he was the only one who shared her dislike of the rules the ocean commanded. The rules were simple but tightly constricting. No one is allowed to swim after sunset. No one is allowed to cross any of the ocean's boarders alone. Only a Law Keeper has the power over life and death. Anyone who kills is always severely punished. Thievery is secondary to this crime, since everyone must always fight to stay alive. Theft of anyone's provisions is also dealt with harshly. And above all others are these: Not ever is anyone allowed to breach the ocean's walls to the surface, and in turn, contact to humans is absolutely-absolutely not allowed.**_

_**Ever since she was a small child the horrors of the human race had been hammered in to her head. Humans were water killers. They polluted the oceans with oil and mako and poisons that would give life to their dry lands, but in turn sap the life from the ocean and all of her beauty. Humans killed for sport and reveled in bloodshed. Humans were crude and morally primitive, yet intelligent and resourceful-a dangerous combination. If one should cross a human, only one of two options were available: You either swam as far and as fast as you can, or... You kill them before they can kill **__**you. But with all of these so-called " horrors above" Tifa had always felt that something was missing. She stared at Louis portrait, one thought crossing her mind. **' If humans are so inherently evil, then how can they create something so beautiful?'** It wasn't just the man in the picture. It was the meticulous way it had been painted. The vibrant colors and the intricate carvings along the frame. The way something so simple as paint to parchment could create a window to another world...**_

_**Sora waved a rapid hand in front of her face, and she leaned back blinking to clear her suddenly blurred vision. " Hellooo! Ocean to Tifa can you hear meee?" She drifted back and shook her head. **_

_**" Sorry, Sora. Did you say something?" He shook his head despairingly at her and grabbed her hand.**_

_**" Come on, you need to get out of your hermit hole for a change. And hey-maybe we'll find something new today!" He encouraged, smiling brightly at her. And Tifa found herself smiling back. Sora's smile was such an infectious thing. Together they swam out of one of the ship's windows to the sea glass fields just beyond the wreckage. Every color of the rainbow shimmered in the sun's rays which filtered through the water. Tifa swept**_**_ her long dark hair, billowing gently behind her. She sat on the rocks just below the surface yet close enough that she could see the colors of the sky reflecting off of the waves. The dancing lights caught her tail as it shifted ever so slightly with each wave. Her tail was a lovely color of bluish green, but covering each scale was a thin sheen of lavender. The combination made her tail almost appear two different colors. Blue-green in one light, then a pretty purple in another._**

**_The subject of a man had dampened Tifa's mood somewhat. And although she was away from the picture, the man within it kept appearing in her mind. Sensing her darkened mood Sora swam up beside her and landed on an outcropping of rock just below her, the tips of her tail lightly brushing his shoulder as he looked up at her. " Hey, come on. I didn't drag you out in the sun just to sulk. What's up?" Tifa twisted a strand of hair around her finger before answering._**

**_"...It's almost my bonding time." She murmured. Understanding crossed his face and Sora leaned back on the rocks, sighing in sympathy._**

**_" Oh yeah. I completely forgot about that." Bonding time, as it was known to the merpeople, was the time in a merperson's life when a mate was chosen to become their other half. The sea people believed that when we are born, we are born only half of who we really are. When you bond with your mate, then you become a whole person: You are he and he is you. The ritual is simple: Blessings from the parents are given to their union, a spell will be invoked that will meld one's mind and heart to the other, so that wherever you are you will feel your other half's feelings and know the other's thoughts. Then to seal this bond two will consummate the bonding through intercourse. This bonding usually happens when the merfolk turn seventeen, as this is when one is considered an adult. Tifa's seventeenth birthday was only two months away. By this time if one does not find someone to bond with ( In essence, someone you love) then the parents are the ones who decide. An arranged permanent marriage. Had Sora been born just a little sooner, then Tifa might have chosen him. If anything for the safety of bonding with a friend you care for as opposed to a perfect stranger. And he would have, just as she would race through a horde of sea serpents for him, she knew Sora would have swam through a hundred miles of boiling water for her._**

**_Although Sephiroth has been lenient on this issue, the fact that Tifa has yet to chose a suitor has not gone unnoticed by him. And though she loved her father, Tifa knew whomever her father chose would be someone she wouldn't like at all. And while Sora was glad his bonding time was still many months away he did feel very sorry for his best friend. He looked up at her and gave her his best smile, tugging on the tip of her tail playfully. " Hey, don't worry about it! I'm sure the merman of your dreams is just around the corner! So, try smiling okay?" Tifa shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and Sora frowned. If only she would smile...an idea popped in to his head and without further ado he swam upward until he was just in front of her. Then he adopted a wounded expression and clasped both hands over his heart, opened his mouth and began to sing._**

**_" Dear my love, _**

**_haven't you wanted to be with meeee?_**

**_And dear my love,_**

**_haven't you longed to be freeeee?!" _**

**_Tifa couldn't help it. She threw her head back and laughed, holding her sides as they began to ache. Singing was a natural attribute to many of the merfolk. But unfortunately for Sora, he was just one of the few who really couldn't sing to save his tail. And bless him he always tried, putting all of his feeling in to whatever contorted notes escaped his mouth. But the simple fact was that Sora. Can't. Sing. And he knew it. Sora grinned triumphantly as Tifa giggled where she sat and took in a deep breath._**

**_" I can't keep pretending that I don't even know you_**

**_when,_**

**_At sweet night,_**

**_you are my owwwwwwn!" A hand clamped down over his mouth and his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. Together he and Tifa sank to the sandy ocean floor in a fit of hysterics. Once they had calmed down Tifa looked around herself and noticed something different about the water. The fish were gone._**

**_" Good going, Sora. You've scared the fish away." Sora flipped his bangs from his face and crossed his arms min mock-haughtiness._**

**_" How do you know my song didn't inspire them to go be with their mates or their guppies?" Tifa snickered again at the memory of his attempted ballad and opened her arms out to the empty water around her._**

**_" You traumatized the poor things!" Sora opened his mouth, a ridiculous relpy already on his lips when a large shadow in the distance sobered his mood at once._**

**_" Tifa, I don't think it was my singing that did it." He pointed over her shoulder and she followed his line of sight. Just a few yards behind her was the shadow of what was unmistakably a shark. A hammerhead shark to be precise. And it was huge. Tifa swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and forced herself to remain calm. Sharks can sense fear, and are notorious for attacking from below. She was very grateful at that moment that they were on the sand. Sora lie down on his back and Tifa mimicked his movements, their eyes never leaving their predator. But as luck would have it, the shark noticed their movement. It's tail swished side to side slyly as it swam over their direction. It's jaws opened and Tifa couldn't help the way it began hammering in her chest. It's movements increased and Tifa knew they weren't going to escape it's notice. _**

**_" Psst! Tifa!" Sora whispered. She turned her head briefly to him, then focused again on the approaching beast. " I'll distract it. You make a dash for it and I'll catch up with you later." her eys had widened un pure fear for her friend even before he had finished the sentence._**

**_" No, Sora! You can't!" Sora's chest puffed with pride and his eyes grew dark and serious._**

**_" Yes I can. Maybe I can't sing that well, but I am one of the fastest swimmers in the sea." She couldn't rebuke that one. She nodded reluctantly and her eyes darted around for an escape. She saw the rocks looming overhead and she knew at once what she was going to do. " NOW!" Sora sprang up in a flurry and darted past the shark, the hammerhead snapping it's teeth just a hair's breath from his tail. The shark bent it's body around towards Sora and she took her chance. Pushing off as hard as she could Tifa swam upward, never stopping even as Sora's shout floated behind her._**

**_" Tifa what are you doing?!" A churn in the water behind her was all the motivation she needed to keep swimming. The shimmering surface of the water grew closer and closer. Her heart threatening to burst she pushed her arms out, speeding her along even faster and with a burst of water Tifa jumped out of the sea and landed harshly on the wet rocky shelf of land. She heard the splash and turned behind her and covered the scream in her mouth. The shark had come after her, but wasn't able to jump. It's large head protruded out of the water for a moment, it's rows of fangs glistening in the sunlight, and then it sank down in to the water below. Tifa trembled where she lay certain that the monster would not follow her up here. Then she sat up and looked around herself. She had landed far, a few feet away from the ledge of the rocks. The rocks surrounded her, the sun low and an ominous reddish-orange in the sky. It was sunset. She had about an hour to get home. But how? With that shark circling below she would have no choice but to wait. The rocks felt rough under her skin, and the air played with her senses in the strangest way. The wind gently flew around her and she shivered, unused to the feeling of it on her scales. Already her tail was beginning to feel tight and itchy-like she was stuck in something. She knew she had to get back in the water._**

**_Seeing no other alternative she lay down on her stomach and crawled with her arms and hands to the edge. She looked down, straining her eyes for any movement. She saw none. _**_' But I can't take any chances.'** She sat up on the ledge and grasping it with both hands she quickly lowered herself waist-deep in the water, then spun around and hoisted herself back up just as quick. The relief to her tail was instant. So already she had learned something: As long as she kept her tail wet, she was fine. She looked out at the sun and a sense of wonder came over her. She had never seen the sun like this before. Un-blurred by the water it was so clear and bright. The sky was so vast and open above her she almost imagined it as a different sea entirely. " Tifa?" She started from her dazed state and looked down. Sora's head and shoulders were out of the water, and he was looking around in the same confused manner as she had been,**_

_**" Hey Sora. Is it safe to go back now?" **_

_**" Yeah. I tricked it in to crashing in to a brush of sea-glass and I think it cut itself. I saw blood." She nodded and then gestured to the sun and the sky.**_

_**" Can you believe this?" Sora swam to her side and stared at the sun in awe.**_

_**" So THAT's a sunset." He mused. The word brought the world crashing back down on her and Tifa gasped.**_

_**" Sunset! Sora, we have to go back!" Sora jolted in the water and gasped. Tifa pushed off of the rock with her hands and dove head-first in to the water. The rush of the sea passed over her and she felt normal again. She hissed in pain as the salt water touched her arms ans she looked down. A long scrape on her left arm was bleeding lightly.** ' I must have gotten it when I dove on to the rocks. Or maybe it was when I was crawling to the water.'** She mused. **** Sora floated down next to her and together they began the descent back to the wrecked ship Tifa called home. He cast a sideways glance at her arm.**_

_**" You okay?" **_

_**" I'll be fine. What about you?" Sora's smile returned and the relief she felt was a balm to her nerves.**_

_**" I'm fine. But you know," A worried frown lined his brows and he lowered his voice. " You're gonna have to find a way of explaining that to Sephiroth." Tifa winced but she agreed.**_

_**" Yeah, no matter what happens..." Yes, he knew. Together they gave the same warning.**_

_**" Don't tell Dad."**_

_**" I'm not sure he would be okay with it even IF the reason was because of a shark attack." Sora hummed agreeably. The ship was a welcome sight to the both of them and the familiar surroundings acted as a comfort to them both. With a groan Sora let himself sink on to the once-grand carpet of the ship. Tifa passed by Louis' portrait and paused, taking in the sight of the human again. What were they like? Until now she had never thought she could find out for herself. The prospect was as dangerous as it was exciting. To see the air and the sun was almost too much for her to take in all at once. What if she saw a real, live human one day! Sensing her thoughts Sora looked at the portrait, then back to his friend. **_

_**" So Tifa, are we gonna go back up there again?" Her gaze fixed on the painting she touched the frame tenderly. There were so many dangers and possibilities in that question. It was hard to pick the pros and cons to either side when all she could think about was the open sky. She stared at the portrait, her lips saying one thing, her mind already knowing what she was going to do.**_

_**" I don't know..."**_

* * *

_**Done! So in this chapter we get to see where Tifa comes from. I wanted to explain how her world works in this chapter, so that the things I have planned make sense later. The song Sora was trying to sing before was " Anywhere" By Evanescence. ( One of my fav songs btw.) Oh, and the man in Tifa's picture is Brad Pitt as he looked in Interview With The Vampire. Louis Pointe Du lac is his name in the film. For those who didn't catch it. ;) As always Please R&amp;R and bless your happy happiness!**_


	4. Get Away

_**Hey all! I know it's taken forever and a day but I finally got it! Here's the next chapter of ' Deep Blue' For your entertainment! ( Sorry I'm listening to Adam Lambert while i'm typing.) Lol. So kick back and enjoy the show! **_

* * *

_**Get Away**_

_**Cloud let the heavy box drop with a growl as he set it down by the trash. True to her word the next morning his mother had put him to work, and truth be told there was a lot that had needed to be done. How did she do it all by herself on a daily basis?! First, he'd dusted and cleaned the widows in the house. ALL of the windows. Fuck , how many damn windows did a house need? Then once that was done Cloud had been forced to clean the stove, sweep the kitchen floor, mop it, then polish the metal light fixtures above the eating table. Now he was tasked with cleaning out the basement. He was to sort through old junk they didn't need vs old junk they might  need. What he deemed unnecessary was then to be taken out in boxes to the curb along with the trash. His mom would then look it over and make sure he didn't throw anything away she wanted to keep. So here he was, on his eighth box sweaty, dusty, sore and fucking OVER IT. His fingers numbly rejoiced as he let the heavy box clunk down on the sidewalk. He wiped them on his jeans ( even though it didn't help at all.) and stretched the kinks from his back.**_

_**It was decided. After today, he HATED the basement.**_

**_" Cloud?!" He groaned quietly as Eliza called for him. Shit, what did she want now?! He turned around and she giggled at the sour expression on his face. " Lemme guess: Had it up to here?" She asked, holding her hand above his head. Cloud chose not to say a thing. Why bother if she already knew? Giggling again Eliza handed him a glass of ice water. Taking the offered glass, he downed the liquid on record time. " Here, this might help." She said, taking the water from him and handing him a wet washcloth. Cloud understood and used it to wipe the grime from his hands and his face. He didn't feel any cleaner really. But at least he wasn't covered in dust anymore._**

**_" Thanks." He took a deep breath then let it out slowly, preparing himself for whatever task was next._**

**_" I wanted to thank you for all of your help today. And I think...you've done enough." He blinked in surprise. Damn straight he'd done enough! But did she mean it?  
_**

**_" Really?"  
_**

**_" Yeah. Why don't you take the rest of the day to yourself?" Cloud nodded and handed the cloth back to her._**

**_" Okay. I think I'm just gonna walk for a bit. I'm still kinda wound up." She nodded and swept back a stray hair from her face._**

**_" Okay, but not too late." With a nod he turned on his heel and walked out of their lawn. He had no real destination in mind, but he didn't want to be in the house much either. But if he thought he was permitted any quiet time then he was sorely mistaken. ( Not that he really expected any.) It didn't take long for trouble to show itself. He formed his hands in to fists as a guy stopped in his way. Long, spiked red hair pulled back in to a ponytail framed a pale face. Green eyes scanned up and down his body as a smirk played on his lips. Reno Mauder. Beside him was a bald teen with dark skin, who stared at him through a pair of sunglasses. Supposedly his eyes were sensitive to any from of light, so he constantly wore them. Personally Cloud thought that was just an excuse to wear them to try to look cool. His name was Rude Dannis. Seriously, though. Who the hell goes around naming their kid Rude? ( Although given his name, Cloud didn't have any room to talk.) Reno swung the metal bat in his hands lazily before letting it rest on his shoulder._**

**_" Well look at what the cat dragged in." He mused. His irritation peaked and Cloud tensed his body, ready for a fight. _**

**_" I'm not in the mood to deal with you today. Keep moving." Beside him Rude chuckled as Reno drummed his fingers along the handle of his bat. He held out the bat towards Cloud, his fingers gripping it threateningly._**

**_" This here's our territory, Slick" Cloud arched a challenging brow and scanned the small field around them with mocking interest._**

**_" Don't see your name here." Rude cracked his knuckles threateningly and Cloud's patience officially ran out. What had started as irritation had now turned in to anger. He snapped his fist forward, watching with vindictive satisfaction as Rude fell back, unconscious. Reno's eyes widened in shock and he dropped the bat. _**

**_" Oh, man! Rude!" He knelt down to the unconscious teen and started shaking his body as Cloud turned around and walked away. Those two were always together. He often wondered if they didn't have some kind of secret bromace going on or something. _**_**He rounded the corner, his glare still in place. God, was he allowed no peace here?! He silently swore to himself: The next person to piss him off was dead. Just dead. Whatever patience he had was officially go-**_

_**"-Kay. Mom!" Collision. His body tensed. His hands balled in to fists. Eyes narrowed to the finest point of a dagger at his assailant... Then he slowly forced himself to relax. It was a kid, sitting on the ground and rubbing his forehead. But not one of the usual neighborhood kids. This one was new. Bright blue eyes squinted up at him from a mop of shaggy brown hair. He scrambled up and swatted at the dirt on his baggy grey cargo pants. " Uh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to run you over. Heh." He scratched the back of his head as he let out a nervous laugh, smiling at him apologetically. Cloud closed his eyes, took a breath, then looked at the boy.**_

_**" I'm fine. You hurt?" The boy shook his head cheerfully as he knelt down. Books of various sizes littered the ground.**_

_**" Nope! Totally fine! I tend to hit my head a lot so, I'm used to it. I'm kind of a klutz."**_

_**" No shit." Cloud reached down and picked up the last two books, handing them to the kid. He took them gratefully then stood back up, holding what he counted six books close to his chest. The boy tilted his head curiously and frowned confusedly up at him.**_

_**" Aren't normal grown-ups not supposed to say that kind of stuff in front of kids?" Huh. He had a point. Maybe he should have chosen his words a little more carefully. However, Cloud simply ended up shoving a hand in to one of his pockets and shrugging it off.**_

_**" I ain't really a grown-up. And I'm not normal."**_

_**" No shit!" The boy chirped. Cloud's eyes widened as the kid giggled fiendishly at him. " Oh, come on. You totally walked in to that one!" Okay. He got him. Cloud gave a small smile, despite himself and he laughed quietly at the boy.**_

_**" So...you got a name, Kid?"**_

_**" Huh? Oh, yeah-hi! My name's Denzel Bastian!" Denzel secured his books so that he could reach out a hand to Cloud. Hell. Why not? He took the boy's hand and grasped it gently with his own.**_

_**" Cloud Strife." And the two shook hands. Even stranger still, Cloud found himself walking with the boy as he began chatting away. And for once it wasn't irritating. What was getting on is nerves, however, were the almost culprit gazes of the neighbors working outside. Like they were waiting for him to do something wrong. He chose to fall in to his usual routine as Denzel talked: Ignore them.**_

_**" My parents and I just moved here from Midgar. My dad's a lawyer and my mom's a veterinarian. Mom and Dad just decided to move us here. I don't really know why, but you know: Whatever! I live in that house over there." Cloud followed the boy's line of vision. It couldn't possibly be the nice red brick house with the big-ass moving van out front, now could it? ( Can you say sarcasm?) He nodded then pointed two houses down to the right, not far at all from Denzel's new home.**_

_**" My house is that one." Denzel's eyes lit up excitedly as he took in Cloud's home.**_

_**" That like, right across the street from me! Sweet, we're neighbors! Hey, Cloud! Do ya think maybe we can hang out sometime?" Cloud paused in stride, Denzel stopping to look up at him questioningly. This kid actually wanted to be around him?**_

_**"...Don't know if that's such a good idea. Especially if you wanna fit in." The kid blinked in confusion as Cloud stared directly ahead, purposefully avoiding his gaze.**_

_**" Why?" Cloud's gaze flickered to the side, where a woman who was gardening watched them suspiciously. He lowered his gaze, irritated.**_

_**" People in this town don't like me very much." Denzel shrugged this bit of information away.**_

_**" So? I like you." He turned his head to stare incredulously at the boy. Pure honesty stared back at him. This whole thing-meeting Denzel, shaking his hand, talking with him, the kid actually wanting to spend time with him... It was all so fucking weird. yet, kind of a nice switch for the usual. ( I.E snide remarks, unamusing pranks, fighting, etc.) Denzel, unaffected by Cloud's silence decided to keep talking. Something told him that Cloud was a really good listener. " But I guess that's something we have in common. Kids didn't like me all that much back home, either." Cloud looked down and arched a brow at this bit of information. He seemed okay to him...**_

_**" I used to go to this preppy school, St. Augustine's. The others thought I was kinda weird. I uh," He gestured to the books in his arms. " I love to read. I guess you can count me in with the nerds. I'll read anything. Fantasy, horror, sci-fi, biographies... Sometimes when I run out of stuff to read, I'll read my history or science books. Don't like math that much though." He scrunched his face in dislike at the mention of the offending subject. Cloud could relate. He was no math genius himself. The highest grade he'd ever scraped in math was a C minus. And that was on his yearly report card. " I used to have this one friend Rix. But then he started hanging out with some mean kids. He threw a rock at me and we haven't been friends since." Cloud nodded once, absorbing the information.**_

_**" So why did he do it?"**_

_**" What? Throw a rock at me?"**_

_**" Yeah." Denzel looked down, his face tight with hurt as he hugged his books closer to his chest. Cloud had the distinct impression that this was something Denzel had thought over many times. **_

_**" I dunno. He just did." Denzel offered no more information, and Cloud asked for none. They reached his house and Denzel's smile returned. " Thanks for hangi'n out with me. I had fun. But I gotta go back in to help unpack now." He said, sighing heavily. Chores. Every child's worst enemy. He jogged up to the porch, then turned around to face him again. " So, I guess I'll see you around! Right, Cloud?" He only had to consider the question for a second before he responded with a nod.**_

_**" Sure." Denzel's smile widened and then he disappeared in to the house with a wave. Cloud shoved his hands in to his pockets as he continued to walk aimlessly. Before long his steps took him out of town as he thought about his strange encounter. The kid, Denzel, didn't seem so bad. Heh. He could just imagine the looks on their faces if the mothers of the town discovered him babysitting one of these days. Maybe he'd even come up behind Denzel with a knife, just to freak them out. He was pretty sure he could get Denzel in on it. The thought of the conservative women's reactions brought a smirk to his lips. He felt a familiar twinge in his neck and he rolled his head and shoulders, popping some of the stiff muscles. The relief was brief but welcome. Damn. He was too tense. He needed to relax. As soon as he had the thought, a flash of water crossed his mind. He needed to relax? He had a place for that.**_

_**It had been, what? Three weeks since he last visited his place? On impulse he changed direction and began his walk down to the shore. Three miles south of town was the lighthouse, which had been abandoned several years ago but still stood vigil over the hill. Like an abandoned soldier still awaiting orders. Many people avoided the place. Some stayed away because they believed it was haunted. Some stayed away because it was rumored that deathly poisonous sand snakes nested there. And then there were the ones who stayed away because the area in general was dangerous to maneuver. To get the beach you had to first climb down a rocky slope, where one misplaced foot or one slip of the hand could send you tumbling to the bed of jagged rocks below. Then you had to step your way through a dotted path of small sea beds, where the urchins liked to live. And he knew from personal experience that the little needles covering their bodies hurt like hell. **_

_**But the peace he was granted was well worth it. As for the rumors, well...he'd never seen a ghost around. Not around the beach nor in the lighthouse. The poisonous snakes part was true, but they liked to nest more inland, away from the beach aways in a small cave. So as long as he didn't bother them, then they didn't bother him. And the danger of the layout was apparent. But he had traversed this place so much he had become an expert climber. Maneuvering through these little traps took him no time and caused him no trouble. Knowing that he was the only one in town brave enough ( or crazy enough) to come to this place gave him a sense of absolute solace. It was a feeling he always had ever since he had first found this place. **' I'm protected here. I'm safe here.'** He let his thoughts wander as his legs automatically took him to where he wanted to be. **__**Before long he reached his destination. He stood on the bluff's edge, taking it all in with one deep breath.**_

_**The sea breeze washed over him, taking all of his tension away in the wind. The gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore, the steady rhythm of the bell from the buoy in the harbor, the salty tang of the ocean in the air...this was his heaven. The " Lighthouse Place" was what he used to call it when he was a little kid. There were so many secrets here that was 99.9% sure only he knew about. When he was a kid he thought this place was magic. Everywhere he went all he could ever feel was his rage. It itched under his skin and burned him with a fever that was both intoxicating and unbearable. He didn't particularly like hurting people...but he couldn't deny the rush of perverse pleasure he got when his opponents lay bleeding at his feet after another rough-and-tumble ride. But here...this was the only place he didn't feel like that. Maybe it was because no one could find him here. Maybe it was because this place looked so different from the town just three miles back. Whatever mystery it was Cloud was grateful for it. **_

_**Because here he was the only one in control. He lay back on the ground, not caring that the grass might stain his jeans, or that the tiny grains of sand stuck to his clothes. He wanted to climb down further, but that would require movement. And at the moment Cloud felt no real inclination to move. So he just lay there, staring up at the sky. The Clouds were sparse, the sun was not unbearably bright today and the sky was blue. The color reminded him of Denzel's eyes. Denzel. It was kind of funny, he reflected, that a little kid of all things could evoke that kind of emotion in people. He recalled the sidelong glances and the suspicious gazes of those nosy neighbors as they talked. One lady looked like she wanted to scream for his parents and save him from " That no-good Strife boy." He snorted in amusement. But as far as kids went Denzel didn't seem so bad. Maybe it wouldn't royally suck to play babysitter sometime. The feeling of his cell vibrating in his pocket made him outwardly groan and he lazily reache din and retrieved the little noisemaker. On the screen was a text from his mom.**_

_**' Where r u? It's been two hours come home, please.'**_

_**That's right. He told her he was just going out for a few minutes. Oops. With a heavy sigh Cloud forced his protesting limbs to move, abandoning his relaxed state. Time to go home. He found himself wishing that he had come here sooner, so he could have stayed longer. But there was always tomorrow. It wasn't like he had school to go to or anything. Amen, suspension! He started at the same casual pace as he began his walk back. **_

_**It was then that he saw them.**_

_**The three of them were standing by the old chocobo barn, smoking from the looks of it. Those three were always together-and a constant pain in his ass. Their leader was an arrogantly handsome young man, his light blonde hair always kept neat and brushed back. His pale blue eyes-which shined silver on occasion, looked down at everyone and everything as if to ponder whether what they saw was worth staring at in the first place. His name was Rufus Shinra, and his was the wealthiest family in town. And this fact, combined with his movie star looks made him the most popular guy in school pretty much by default. The young man next to him was named Tseng. He had a last name, but it was so complicated to say that most people tended to just call him by his first name. His story was that he was Wutanese, and that his family had apparently been serving the Shinra's for generations. It was common knowledge that Rufus and Tseng lived together, and that Tseng was his personal butler. His long black hair he always let hand down his back, as straight as a board. His eyes were black, like a shark's and seemed to take in everything. **_

_**And then there was Elena. She was born and bred in Nimbelheim just like Cloud, but yet somehow she ended up becoming close with Rufus and Tseng. And to be honest, no one was sure why. Before Rufus bulldozed his way in to town Elena was quiet, shy and probably the biggest nerd in town. She was one of the few people who never really bothered Cloud, but rather left him to his own devices. But once Rufus and Tseng came in to town she changed. She cut her mousy brown hair and dyed it blonde, she replaced her wire-rimmed glasses for contacts making her vivid green eyes stand out in ways they never had. And she ditched the t-shirts and denim over-alls she used to wear for skirts and skinny jeans. But perhaps the biggest change was that she decided that Rufus was the coolest thing since crunchy peanut butter and that Cloud was a loser. So now she thought that it was fun to try to bully and berate him. Like all of the others.**_

_**Undoubtedly these three pains-in-his-ass were usually his biggest offenders. Unfortunately they saw him first. Rufus smirked cruelly and jerked his head at the other two. " Hey, look. A lost dog." He drawled.**_

_**Cloud crossed his arms and sighed tiredly. He wasn't really in the mood for a fight today. " Rufus. Always a joy." He said, his tone bland and insincere. Rufus sneered at him, Tseng and Elena standing behind him with their hands in their pockets like a couple of bodyguards. Rufus threw down the cigarette he had been inhaling and let the stream of smoke blow free from his lips.**_

_**" Think you're hot shit, don't you Strife?" Cloud gave no response, but only continued to stare at Rufus with all the indifference of a rock. Rufus stepped forward threateningly. Cloud arched a single eyebrow. " You think it's cool to hit women? Huh?! Who the hell do you think you are hitting my girlfriend like that?!" Ah, Scarlet. Cloud closed his eyes, taking a moment to mentally bar the anger he could feel pressing underneath his skin. When he opened his eyes he stared Rufus directly in to his steely grey eyes.**_

_**" I didn't hit her, I pushed her. There's a difference."**_

_**" You gave her bruises!"**_

_**" She had it coming." He growled, his mental and emotional restraints beginning to snap. Rufus didn't hesitate. **_**_He eradicated the distance between them in just a few steps. Rufus pulled back his arm and threw a fist out at Cloud. He caught the blow on his arm and then pulled back his own hand to punch Rufus right in the center of his chest. The bully gasped as the air was forced from his lungs, then Rufus Shinra fell to the ground. He already knew what was coming. In less time than it took to blink Tseng and Elena had already begun hitting him wherever they could touch him. A scratch to his eye, a blow on his head. Punch to the ribs, kick to his shin. Already he could taste blood in his mouth. Rufus had joined the fray just as fast as they had begun, he knew. And having a girl in the mix made it that much harder to fight back. Now more than ever Cloud struggled to remember that hitting a girl was wrong. So he only did what he could to defend himself, hating ever one of them as his body was racked with pain. A well-aimed punch to the side of his head took him down. Cloud knew he couldn't keep on the defensive forever. Something had to give. He knew fighting back was a lost cause at this point. He couldn't take much more._**

_' The coast!' **That was the only way out he could see. None of them would follow him there. But to get there he'd have top break a rule. **' Oh well. She's been asking for it anyways.'** So Cloud kicked out with one of his legs, sending Tseng to the ground. Elena was still above him, clawing at his face and arms as Rufus kicked and punched anywhere he could get to. He tensed as her fingers sought to scratch him again and he caught her hand just in time as it came down. Hardening his grip he twisted her hand, enjoying the shriek of pain that followed. Then he pulled back a fist and punched her square in the gut. Elena gasped as the wind was knocked out of her and she fell back. As he expected, Rufus stopped the assault to reach out to her. Now was his chance! Willing his body to move Cloud shot up and began running back to the cliffs. he ignored the angry shouts which called him coward and demanded he come back. He could hear them behind him but he kept on running. It didn't take long for the voices following him to die away. No one could compete with his speed.**_

_**The sound of the waves never sounded so good as they did right then. He scrambled down the rocky edges, his legs like lead as his body screamed agony. Cloud stumbled to a shelf by the water and let his body fall. He winced as his head lightly thudded on the rock under him but he couldn't bring himself to care very much. All he wanted to do was just rest and wait to go back. All he needed was just one damn minute of rest... Cloud closed his eyes and let himself fall in to a dreamless sleep. **_

* * *

_**Tifa hovered just under the water's edge, debating with herself. Ever since she'd breached the surface her curiosity had grown more than she thought possible. What little she had seen and felt left her with more questions. How long could she stay above? What else as up there? What lay beyond that rocky edge she'd lay on? Just WHAT was up there? Sora wasn't here to tell her it probably wasn't a good idea to find out,( though he'd say it reluctantly she was sure) and alone she wanted to find out. No one else had to know, right? Bolstering her resolve Tifa slowly swan up to gently break the surface of the water. Whatever she had been expecting was cast to the tides as she took in the world around her. **_

_**The air was different today. Tifa's senses heightened as she became aware of this. Her eyes scanned the area, finding the familiarity somewhat comforting. The Tides were low, foam playing along the shores. That was normal. Beyond was a strange tower of light that spun and flickered. Strange. What was that? What was it used for? More questions. She had come to the surface at the same time as before, with the sun low in the sky. She sought that rocky ledge she had touched before... And was met with the last thing she expected to see. It was a human. Tifa gasped in horror as images of nets, knives and blood filed her mind's eye. ** ' Move! Swim away-NOW!' **She tried desperately to obey her mind's commands. A twitch. Blinking eyes. Heaving chest as he breath sought to keep up with her rapidly beating heart. She couldn't move-couldn't move! But then...neither was the human. **_

_**in fact, it looked like it was sleeping. Tifa allowed her body to relax a little as quiet relief stole over her. She could swim away. She could dive down and the human would be none the wiser. **' But if it's asleep then maybe...it wouldn't hurt to look?' **A spark of curiosity lit inside of her too bright to ignore. **' No! Humans are evil! They're fish killers! Ocean polluters! Thieves! Murderers!' **But then, it couldn't hurt her if it was asleep. But as if to combat her non-sensibilities that other part of her yelled out another warning. **' Never poke a sleeping shark!'** The war in herself, however valid was brief as the overwhelming urge to KNOW took hold of her. How many times in her life would she get to look-really look at a human?! This temptation was far too great. Tifa dove down and propelled herself to the rocks faster than you can say ' Tide'. She was just below the surface now. Her heart was beating hard again but this time not in fear. This time it was pure excitement. Slowly, as silent as a sea turtle she emerged from the water and swam through the shallows until her fingers brushed the rough edges of the rock shelf.**_

_**She braced her arms and slowly lifted herself up on to the cracked, sand-dusted surface to get the best view possible. And for the first time Tifa of the merpeople gazed upon a human. Oh, it was human alright. And it was...male. His skin was pale, like white sand. His golden blonde hair was spiked every which way, alot like Sora's hair but more so. His face was angular with a strong jaw, high cheekbones and a perfectly straight nose. He wore a strange black covering over his torso, which was almost like a second skin but not unbearably tight it seemed. Whatever it was it did a fantastic job of showcasing his strong, lean build. Strange dark blue somethings covered his...his...two fins? And the ends were black and strangely shaped. Tifa drunk in every detail of this man as her heartbeat went from hard to fluttery. There was no doubt in her mind. Human or not he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen.**_

_**Her hand slowly raised to her lips as she took notice of another detail pertaining to this handsome stranger. **' He's hurt.' **Blood dribbled down his chin from the corner of his lips, the red contrasting harshly with the paleness of his skin. A dark bruise was blooming on one side of his face-just below his eye. His hands were scraped and dirty, the knuckles bruised and scraped. More blood smeared on his hands from where the skin split on his knuckles. And she could tell by the uneven way his chest rose and fell that he was probably just as battered underneath what the strange covers concealed from her. The wind whispered around them and the cool breaths caused his body to involuntarily shudder. He didn't look dangerous to her. To Tifa this young man looked hurt, lonely...sad.**_

_**She moved without thought. Her hands pulled her forward on the rocks until she was sitting right beside him. She reached out one shy hand to gently stroke the bangs from his face. ( Uncovering a nasty bruise on his forehead which she noted with a sympathetic wince.) He did not stir. How badly was he hurt? As gently as she could Tifa took hold of the black woven something on his chest and lifted it up. It felt strange. It wasn't seaweed or kelp, so what was it? Shoving her curiosity away she looked down at his chest and gasped in shock. Bruises and scrapes covered his chest as if he'd been hailed on by sharp rocks. She let her fingers run along his bruises, feeling no broken bones. What she did feel was smooth skin over a nicely formed abdomen, her fingers dipping along the muscle. **' Stop it! Now's not the time to feel him up!' **Mentally smacking herself she pulled the black thing down and smoothed it over his chest. Bracing herself for what came next she placed both hands over his heart, feeling the strong beat beneath her palms.**_

_' Focus,'** She told herself. **' Find your energy. There, that's it. Now concentrate... Let it flow from you to him, like a gentle wave over the seabeds.' **She bowed her head and closed her eyes as she felt the exchange of energy take place. She felt herself beginning to weaken as her life energy gave him strength. His lips bled no more. In fact what had bleed out was pulled up and back in to his body as the wound sealed itself shut. The bruises faded one by one until nothing remained. His head, his hands, his chest, his legs-all of the pain was washed away by her will. Sensing he was well now, Tifa gently withdrew her spiritual contact and she gasped as she came back to herself. She felt as if she had just finished racing a dolphin for hours on end. Her limbs felt numb and shook with what it took to support her. Her tail was limped in exhaustion but she still smiled. He was going to be okay. Her relief was instantly replaced with panic as the man gasped in a great breath of air and eyes as blue as the sea flew open to stare right in to hers! No! He wasn't supposed to see her!**_

_**Tifa harshly pushed herself away and clambered back to the water as quickly as her body would allow her. Putting all her energy forward she pushed herself off of the rocks and splashed back in to the sea. The water greeted her like and old friend: Refreshing and welcoming. She swam, clawing through the water as her tail flopped with exhaustion through the water. Suddenly her vision blurred and her breaths shallowed out as the toll finally took hold of her. She couldn't go any further. Her body finally giving out Tifa fainted, her body coming to rest on the sand as the waves played about her.**_

* * *

**_Cloud gasped as a great gust of air lifted his lungs-as if he'd been holding his breath. His eyes shot open. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't what he saw. It was a girl, with long dark hair and garnet eyes staring back at him. Before he could even begin to ask who she was she shot away from him. His eyes followed her...and the tail that disappeared over the ledge with her. The fuck...?! He blinked. She was gone. He blinked hard again. Nothing there. Cloud slowly sat up, his eyes sharp and searching. Nothing. No one was here. Not even Rufus or any of his jackasses-the fight! He looked around again, alert and ready for trouble as his body tensed for another round. Wait...it was? He looked down and pressed a hand to his chest. It didn't hurt. He wiped at his lips and then searched his fingers. Examined his knuckles. No blood. No pain. Nothing. He felt...fine. It was as if the fight had never happened._**

**_How. The fuck. Was that possible?! Was it all in his head? _**_' No. I remember. Every word, every blow those bastards handed me. Pain like that you can't make up.' **But still, there was no physical proof of it. Any of it! As for that girl, what he saw... Maybe it was because of those knocks to his head. ( Now nonexistent.) Or maybe he was dehydrated. There was just no way he could have seen...what he saw must have been just a...a what? He didn't know her. As sorry as he was to admit it Cloud knew everyone in Neimbelheim just like they knew him. Her face was not a familiar one. Had she really been here? **' Or, was that just a dream?'** And if it wasn't, that what was it?**_

_**It was impossible what he saw. It just was! But then, so was the fact that his body felt as good as it had ever felt. A series of vibrations brought him out of his head and he dug in his pocket for his phone. It was another text from his mom. ' Seriously, where r u? Answer me!' Slowly Cloud stood up and texted her back. **_

_**' Sorry, lost track of time. At the lighthouse. Be back in a few.'**_

_**He pocketed his cell and began walking back. He turned back to the water, his eyes searching one more time. Nothing. Only the ocean. Not altogether satisfied he tuned back and began the hike home.**_

* * *

Done! So how did it go? Was it what you were expecting? Cloud and Tifa saw each other yay! Thoughts? Next chapter: Cloud and Tifa will meet face to face! Please R&amp;R and as always bless your happy happiness!


	5. Cloud's Diary, Entry Two

_**Hi, Guys! I'm back with a new chapter. And for those of you reading " Grey", don't worry I haven't forgotten the story. So many updates, so little time. ( Sigh.) Anyways, here's the next chapter of deep blue. Disclaimer: I own noting.**_

* * *

_**Cloud's Diary, Entry Two**_

_Notebook,_

_I can't even begin to describe the shit that's gone down since I wrote last. I'm not sure where I should start... Scratch that-let's start from the beginning. ( Insert heavy sigh here.) OKAY! So, first I met this kid about two days ago. Denzel Bastain. He and his family just moved here from Midgar. My first question is WHY?! Midgar is a bustling city with practically everything. Neimbelheim is a small town with nothing but ocean in the front, and crappy mountain terrains in the back. What did they do to deserve getting shipped off practically to Alcatraz? I'll have to ask about that later. Maybe his parents, because Denzel's not sure either. Now normally, I'm not a kid person. Even when I was a kid I was never a kid person. They were always just these freaky little things I had no idea what to do with. But this one, he seems okay. He told me a little about himself. Apparently he didn't fit in to the mold where he's from either. He went to some prep school and he was bullied for being a nerd. ( He likes books.) I've never really understood why nerdy people were bullied. Book smarts can take you pretty far. In fact it's people like them who end up running million dollar corporations, or becoming doctors, lawyers, computer engineers or something else that makes everyone else look dumb._

_The kid, Denzel... He said he liked me. It's an odd feeling. One i'm not sure how to identify yet. But, let's see how long this lasts. I'm about 50% sure once he starts hanging with some of the kids around here, he'll forget me and avoid me. Like all of the others. Now that I've told you about THAT, let's move on to more pleasant matters. ( Insert sarcasm.) I ran in to Reno and Rude that same day. Remember how I said a lot of the people in my town don't like me? Well you can count them in. In fact, Reno's that little red-headed bastard I told you about. Y'know-the one I punched the shit out of for kicking Mom's purse. Anyways they tried to piss me off by telling me I wasn't allowed to go through their field. I was just walking along minding my own buisness, when they tried to break off bad. Please. I've dealt with bigger, badder, and more in numbers than those two. I'll say it: I knocked Rude off his ass. Then Reno got all worried and began freaking out like he was his girlfriend or something. ( I do wonder though...) They've always been together ever since I can remember. Same classes, same interests, same brain capacity-yeah you get it. _

_And so, after being royally pissed off I ran in to Denzel. ( Okay, so that was the second thing that happened. I'm kinda out of order, sue me.) I decided i'd had enough of the town so I went to the lighthouse. It's been abandoned for years. Well, supposedly. But the light will come on at night even when no one's there. That's why many people say it's haunted. Wanna hear the story? So, over a hundred and whatever years ago, there was this sailor who had a girlfriend. They were due to be married. But before they could do that he had to go somewhere for something. ( I'm not sure what, the story just says he had to leave her.) And he asked his best friend to watch out for her. Well, what HE didn't know what that Best Friend was in love with her, too. So Guy leaves girl and Best Friend tries to seduce her with flowers, poems and all of that romantic crap. And it wouldn't have worked...if they hadn't gotten the news that Guy's ship was lost in a storm. So he's presumed dead. So then Girlfriend and Best Friend get married instead. THEN, ( Shock!) Someone tells them that Guy is alive and coming home. Girlfriend gets all excited and Best Friend gets mad. He asks her if she wants to go back to him, and I'm sure it comes as no surprise when she says yes. So Best Friend goes psycho._

_He's got the idea that if he can't have her, then no one can so he decided to kill her. She ran from town to the lighthouse and turned on the light to help Guy find his way home. Best Friend finds her and stabs her to death, then throws himself off of the top of the lighthouse. I guess he felt guilty after the fact or something. So after all that drama Guy comes home and finds his girlfriend dead, and his Best Friend missing. He gets the details of what's been going on from people in town so he's able to put two and two together. Needless to say he's heartbroken. He lived out his life manning the lighthouse and rescuing ships in danger so that no more loved ones will be lost at sea like he was. After he died the lighthouse stopped operating. But the light still comes on. Some say it's the girlfriend still signaling for Guy to come home. Some say they were reunited in death and they turn the lights on together to help lost loved ones find their way home. Other people have reported seeing people in the tower, hearing a woman screaming, a woman singing, a man yelling ( like he's falling), or people laughing in the wind.  
_

_Now I've been there hundreds of times. I've never seen or heard any of that, but the light does still come on. I'm not a big believer in ghosts. But that's most likely because I've yet to see one. Where was I? Oh, Okay. So I went there to lay back on the cliffs to garner some peace and quiet for a bit. I like the sound of the waves on the shore, the smell of the ocean. It takes me off edge. Apart from the lighthouse there's a section of rocks that overlooks the sea. Low enough to jump off from for a swim. You gotta climb a mini mountain down to get there, but it's worth it. So after I went there then I had to go back because Mom was texting me to come home. On the way I was unfortunate enough to run in to ever more people who don't like me. Remember Scarlet Monroe? The girl I got suspended for pushing? Well her boyfriend and his cronies were hanging out at the chocobo barns just outside of town. Rufus Shinra is Scarlet's boyfriend. He's the richest boy in town so he's popular by default. He had Tseng with him. He has a last name but it's too hard to say. I think it's...Kurnitamatasu..? Kumitzanatezu? Fuck, I don't remember. Whatever it is most people can't say it so he just goes by Tseng. He's Rufus'a butler if you can believe it. ( Seriously?! He's my age and he has a personal butler?! Lazy ass.) Then there was Elena Miller. She's from here, but she acts like she's so much better than all of us. And I know she has a crush on Tseng. _

_Either he doesn't notice those secret love-lorn looks, or he doesn't care._

_But, yeah. I ran in to them, Rufus gave me shit about his girlfriend and how I like hitting women ( I PUSHED her-I did not HIT her, Shit For Brains!) and we got in to it. I'll spare you the details of the fight. Long story short- I got my ass handed to me, but I served their asses right back in the process. The only thing I feel mildly guilty for is that I hurt Elena. Contrary to popular belief I DO NOT like hitting girls, but it was either that or a trip to the hospital. My chivalry does not go that far. So I twisted her hand and I punched her in the gut. I wonder if she'll need a sprain or something. It was a heat of the moment thing. It's not like I rationed my strength or anything. At all. So while I can honestly say I did what I had to, I still feel bad about that. I haven't told Mom about the fight. I know I should tell her because it would be better if she heard about it from me. But I don't want to disappoint her ( Again) and I don't exactly want to see her reaction when she finds out I hit a girl. I know she's gonna hear about hat fight eventually. In fact I'm surprised Elena's parents haven't busted down our door yet. Oh, well. I know I'll have to face the screaming sometime. Okay, so we've gone over all of that, but there's one more thing that happened. It was something... I don't even know what it was. I'll just tell you.  
_

_So after the fight I ran back to the lighthouse area and climbed the cliffs down to get away. I went there because I know it's the one place people don't go to. If the ghost story doesn't keep you away, the poisonous snakes that nest around there, or the dangerous terrain might. I'm not afraid of either, so I'm the only one who can go there. I remember passing out on a rock shelf by the water. I felt tired, sore and looking back I'm pretty sure I had a concussion. ( I took a lot of blows to the head in that brawl.) Anyways I went unconscious. When I woke up, there was this girl. I didn't get a long enough look at her to tell you what she looked like. I remember long dark hair and red eyes. Or reddish-brown. Kind of like wine or something. I remember her eyes because it was such an unusual color. I'd never seen eyes like that. Now, here's where things get weird. She dove in the water to get away and I saw... Damn I'ts even ridiculous to write! Okay, Okay. This is it. I saw her dive in the water with a tail. Yes, like a fish tail. Watching her go in to the water she looked like something out of a story book._

_I think I saw a mermaid._

_Even looking at it on paper seems too out-there. But what else Could it have been. And this isn't even the weirdest part. I was fine when it was all over. And what I mean is: I had no bruises, no blood, nothing hurt, nothing broken or cracked. It was like that fight was just all in my head! And the...Mermaid ( Geez that's too weird) was no where to be found. I've gone over it a million times in my head. Maybe it was a hallucination. Maybe it was because of the concussion. ( But I didn't have that when I saw her.) Or maybe it was a long skirt that just looked like a tail. I don't know. Fairytales are just that: Fairytales. Not real. So how am I supposed to make sense of something that I saw so clearly? I guess there's only one way to see. I'm gonna go back there and see if I can find her again. I'll update if something happens._

**_Cloud threw down the pen and reclined in his chair, relieved from bending over to write in his damn journal. It wasn't that he necessarily wanted to keep up this method of ' letting out his feelings' as his mother put it. It was just that he had to get it all out somehow. It just took too much energy to keep it in his head. Since he didn't have any friends to talk to, he wrote it down. It wasn't like he could talk to his Mom about it. She probably wouldn't believe him anyway. And if he did tell her then that would mean explaining how he got hurt in the first place. He looked outside, letting the sunlight hit his face and light his eyes. It was noon. The sun was bright and the sky looked clear. Perfect visibility for what he had in mind. He closed his notebook and got up to walk downstairs. " Cloud?" He froze as his hand touched the doorknob. Eliza rounded the corner and folded her arms over her chest. " Where are you going?"_**

**_" Outside. I'm just feeling a little stir-crazy."_**

**_" Ah, cabin fever." Why did people call it cabin fever? Another of life's mysteries he never understood. " Well don't stay out too long. Not after yesterday. You had me worried." Cloud turned around and walked over to her. He encircled his arms around her in a comforting hug, burying his face in her hair. _**

**_" Sorry, Mom." Eliza hugged her son back, then let him go._**

**_" It's okay. Just text me when you're coming home, okay?"_**

**_" Sure." Cloud turned around and walked out, feeling oddly nervous. Maybe it was due to the absurdity of what he was doing. Or maybe it was because of the possibility. _**_' No,'** He decided as he began making his way to the lighthouse place, hands shoved in his pockets to hide his clenching fists. **' This is just stupid. I know I'm not going to find anything. I'm just going there to prove it. There's no such thing as Mermaids.'_

* * *

_**Tifa sat on the floor of the ship, staring at Louis's picture for what felt like the millionth time. After she had collapsed, it had taken her hours to come to. In fact, she had spent the whole night on the sea floor due to her lack of energy. When she had woken up, it was to the ghost-like glow of early morning through the waves. She counted her blessings that she hadn't been at home, or else her father might have had one too many questions for her. It wasn't unusual for Tifa to disappear for days on end by herself. Her father knew she called this sunken ship a home away from home. So out here she knew she was safe. Although she would have to go back home sometime soon to appease her father. Although Sephiroth knew she could handle herself, he did not like it when she stayed away from home too long. If he had to come and collect her...well, homecoming was a frosty affair then. But she didn't go home. She couldn't. Not after what had happened just two days past. **_

_**She couldn't get him out of her mind. The human man she had seen was nothing like what she had been expecting. She was expecting something strange, frightening, grotesque even. That was the last thing she had found. The man she had seen and saved was none of those things. Well, strange maybe because of his absence of a proper tail. But other than that he wasn't so strange. In fact if she had only seen his top half and without that strange covering on his chest, then she would have thought he was one of her own. It was somewhat startling to know that a supposed monster was something that was so similar to yourself. **' He's not a monster.'** The thought came unbidden, but not unwelcome. He was a confusing concept, this human.**_

_**She had opted to stay in the ship because seeing him once was somehow not enough. She wanted to know more. Would he go back to that place? What did he do there? Why was he there to begin with? Did he like the ocean? How were his wounds doing since they last saw each other? So many question and no answers. It was driving her crazy! So she had spent the last two days here contemplating one thing: Could she go back? The right answer would have been a big, fat NO! She knew that. But she also knew she would never be satisfied with just one look. She wanted to go back. **' But what if he sees me again?'** She wasn't supposed to have been seen the FIRST time either, but it had happened. So what could possibly come of him seeing her again? No, it couldn't happen. Maybe...she could go just long enough to see if he was okay. But she might go and not find him there at all.**_

_**He didn't live there. Or did he? In fact, no one knew much outside of the knowledge that they liked to kill fish, dump toxic waste in to their home and make the merpeople sick, and they used nets and sharp weapons to torture the sea-life they encountered. So, maybe he DID live there. So there was a definite possibility he might be there again. **' But he wasn't there when I first came to that place.' **When she dove upon the rocks during the shark attack, he hadn't been there. So maybe he wasn't there now. Suddenly frustrated Tifa shot up and began swimming determinedly back to the rocks above the sea. This was ridiculous! That a human could vex her so much! It was ridiculous for her to even be thinking about him at all! He was just a human! She was determined to go back, and if he was there see if he was okay. If he was, then fine. She would be content with that and never think of it again. Because to do so would only aggravate her more. It was maddening to want an answer no one was willing to give. So she would look one more time, then content herself with that.**_

_**It was just a human, for Poseidon's sake.**_

_**She reached the rocky shores without trouble. She had swam as fast as he tail would go, ready to put this to rest. She surfaced by the rocks out of view in a rush, not caring about not being seen. She dismissed the ripples around her and the splashing of the water with no thought. All she was concerned with was a quick look. And from here it wasn't like anyone could see her. But she should have been more quiet. Her heart froze and her blood ran cold as a voice rang out beyond the water. It was masculine, loud, and demanding.**_

_**" Who's there!?"**_

* * *

_**He stared out at the water, feeling like an idiot. Just like he thought, there was no one there. Just the gently hypnotizing waves, the sun in the sky, and the lighthouse standing quietly off to the side. Cloud took his hands from his pockets and relaxed. He inhaled the sea air deeply, then let it out of his body slowly. It felt like he was expelling some demon of anger from his chest leaving him calm. So it was nothing. Okay. Just his imagination. Even if coming here just to check had seemed stupid, he didn't regret that he was here. Then, just when he was feeling completely at peace the moment shattered as a loud splash snapped his wandering senses back in to place. He saw the water move, ripples fanning out from just behind a tall tower of rocks. He wasn't alone. No small fish would have made a disturbance like that.**_

_**" Who's there?!" He called, his eyes never leaving sight of those ripples or the rocks. He received no answer. Now he was getting pissed. Was it an animal or a person out there? Maybe an animal, but if someone had trespassed in to HIS place... Fed up, he skillfully traversed the jagged rocks and the small sea beds, then edged around the rocks. Cloud gripped the rough crags for support as he looked down. He could see dark hair and a pale shoulder. Someone was definitely there. Bracing himself he leaped down on to the rocks below. The sound of his boots hitting the rock alerted the stranger. A female scream followed by a splash. It was her. In front of him not five feet away was the girl he immediately recognized as the one he thought was a... He didn't even dare to think the word at that moment. Now that he could see her he couldn't look away even if his life depended on it. **_

_**Her hair was made of long dark brown locks, which shined in the sunlight. Skin as pale as paper reflected the waves in dancing patterns along her body. Wide, garnet eyes stared back at him as one slender hand pressed against her mouth. A dark green halter bra concealed breasts that would make any girl jealous ( Yes, he looked. A man's first instinct after all.) Slowly, she lowered her hand to reveal full pink lips. No wonder he thought he'd been hallucinating. No girl could possibly be this beautiful. **_

_**Tifa, meanwhile was sure she would fain from pure fear at any moment. He'd leaped down from the rocks like a beast, landing in a feral crouch right next to her. She couldn't have supressed the scream that tore from her lips. Too late he hand flew to her mouth to stifle the sound. She took in his every detail, too terrified to move. He was covered in the same mysterious coverings as before, except this time his lower half was covered in black. His hair moved softly with the wind as it played with the air. And his eyes, bluer than the ocean were cold and hard as he stared at her, no expression on his face. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking in this moment. Slowly she lowered her hand, unsure of what to do. Could she swim away fast enough? Would he chase her? Why, oh WHY had she thought this was a good idea?! In this instant, crouched down in front of her and with those stormy eyes he looked as dangerous as humans were thought to be.**_

_**Cloud took in her frightened appearance-wide eyes, trembling body and shallow breaths, and he instantly felt like a jackass. Whoever she was she was just a girl. He didn't want to scare her. " Hey, " He said, mellowing his voice out as much as possible. " Sorry if I scared you. You okay?" Tifa blinked in surprise as he spoke. He'd gone from threatening to, well, less-threatening in just a matter of seconds. She swallowed hard as the lump in her throat impeded her speech and she cautiously moved closer. ( But just a little.)**_

_**" Y-Yes." He stood up and huffed out an exasperated breath, then stared down at her suspiciously. **_

_**" Why were you spying on me?" He asked slowly. Oh, great. NOW what was she supposed to do?! She couldn't lie and say she wasn't doing exactly that-she could tell he was smarter than to just believe her. And if she tried to lie, when he caught her he would just get angry at her again. But then what was she supposed to say? Swallowing hard, she decided to go with the truth. Well, as much as she could get away with.  
**_

_**" I was curious. That's all." They stared each other down as Cloud arched a cynical brow in response.**_

_**" You were curious." Silence. He looked down in to the water, trying to see if he could make out what lurked below those elusive waves. All he could make out was colors of lavender and green among the blue. Nothing definitive. He crossed his arms, at a loss. He couldn't just ask her if she happened to have a tail attached to her, and asking her about being a mermaid just sounded stupid. Well, it was now or never he supposed. Maybe he could try something else. " Aren't you cold in there?" She only shook her head. She found she didn't mind talking to him. He didn't seem so dangerous to her. She was beginning to wonder if the old stories about mass killings by human hands were just that. Stories. This person didn't look like a killer... Who was he?  
**_

_**" Umm...what's your name?" She ventured. Cloud paused for a moment, then crouched down to her level and held out his hand.  
**_

_**" I'm Cloud." She smiled at him. It was a strange name, but somehow it suited him. Tifa cautiously swam forward and then took his hand and grasped it gently. **_

_**" Tifa." He couldn't stop it. Now that she was closer to him he looked down in to the water. The shock must have registered on is face because Tifa followed his line of sight-then jerked away in a flurry of splashes. Below the surface seen perfectly in the clear water had been a lavender mermaid's tail. And when she'd jerked away her tail had surfaced for the briefest moment to splash back down as she backed away. And there was no way to hallucinate THAT. Cloud looked up at Tifa, seeing the fear returning to her face. He knew. He wasn't supposed to see that, was he? She looked like she was ready to bolt. But she couldn't just leave yet! He had too many questions and she was the only one who could answer them!  
**_

_**" You're the one I saw that day." It was the first thing that came to mind. Anything to get her to stay. Tifa was panicking. Already she had broken how many laws and trespassed over so many fine lines! He had seen her tail! There was no denying it. At the sound of his voice she snapped her attention back top him and tried to even her very nervous breathing.  
**_

_**"...Yes." What could he do? Obviously she was afraid of something. Was it that he saw her? Did she think he was mad at her or something?  
**_

_**" Hey... What are you afraid of?" He asked, making his voice as gentle as possible. But what she said only served to confuse him even more.  
**_

_**" You." Him? Well, that was kind of to be expected from the people in town. But why was she afraid of him? His screwed rep hadn't reached all the way down to the ocean, had it? ( Sarcastic much? Still...) What reason could a mermaid of all things have to be afraid of him?  
**_

_**" Why?" She opened her mouth, then closed it at once. She felt it. She heard it. In the crash of the waves. In the ripples of the water. In the chill of the sea, suddenly biting to her skin. Her father was coming to get her. She had stayed away too long. She had to go back. She gave Cloud a glance, then began backing away. Oh, gods what would her father do if she saw her now, and with a human of all things?! Her father had never harmed her in any way growing up. But she wasn't naive to the way he dealt with things or people he didn't like. She couldn't risk Cloud getting hurt! She couldn't bee seen here with him now! She had to go back before he caught up with her.  
**_

_**" I have to go. It's been too long." A puzzled frown lined his brows as he stood up.**_

_**" What's been too long? I don't get it." Tifa looked around at the water, then looked back up apologetically at him.  
**_

_**" I know. I can't tell you but, I have to go! I'm sorry!" Was it because she was afraid of him? ( Really?!) But if that were true, why did she look so sad? Then before he could even draw breath to call her back, Tifa dove down in to the water. And since he'd seen and heard more than either thought possible, Tifa decided there was no reason to dive low. So as she disappeared in to the waves, her tail protruded out of the blue water in a graceful arch before letting her fins sink down below.  
**_

_**And Cloud was alone again, the sound of the waves crashing along the shore the only sound in the air.**_

* * *

And that's it! So, who liked Cloud's version of story time? How did the meeting go? Please R&amp;R and bless your happy happiness!


	6. Back At Home

**_Bon Swah, mezzami! I'm back with a new chapter of Deep Blue. I had wanted this out by valentine's day, but I had writer's block. Again. Huff. But I finally finished it so here it is! Yay! Disclaimer: Do I really need one at this point?_**

* * *

**_Back At Home_**

**_In another part of the ocean was a secret place where no diver had ever been. It was a place of coral and ships, of stone ruins, shell towers and sea-glass domes. It was one of the secret homes of the merpeople. In a beautiful cavern lined in crystal were two merpeople, who at this moment seemed nothing but alien to one another. _****_Even with the waves moving everything around them, Sephiroth's hair didn't react. His tail was still as stone. Tifa waited, trying to come up with the words she needed to convince her father to A: Not lock her away in her room for the rest of the season and B: Hide the fact that she had willingly interacted with a human. She knew she couldn't lie to him. It wasn't that she had a guilty conscience which prevented her from doing so. It was his gift that wouldn't allow it. Like a human's ability to sculpt, paint, sing, dance, or even have high intelligence, the merpeople had talents of their own. Tifa's ability to heal being a prime example. Healers existed, yes. Herbalists, nutritionists and medical attendants. But to heal the body completely was something only she and a select few others could do. Sephiroth's gift was of the utmost perception. If a death occurred-be it by natural or unnatural causes, he would know. If a child is born, Sephiroth will sense the new life before anyone else. And if you try to lie to him...he will know. These and other un-namable truths that are revealed to him are what made him such a valuable and respected law keeper. So Tifa knew there was no lie she could tell him to protect Cloud. She would just have to try to evade as much as possible. His voice carried over to her, his tone calm yet chillingly demanding.  
_**

**_" Tifa. I realize as a young woman you are entitled to liberties that a child cannot have. These liberties are given to show your maturity. Your intelligence. Your sense of discipline and control. So why would you chose to display none of these attributes that separate you from a young woman to a senseless child?" Ouch. Tifa inwardly cringed at his words. Did he have to talk down to her like that? Jeez! Clearing her throat nervously she looked in to his vivid green eyes and prayed he wouldn't pry too much.  
_**

**_" I'm sorry, Father. I know I should have come home sooner. But..." She inhaled deeply. " I had to help someone. That's what kept me away."_**

**_" Did Sora get himself in to some manner of trouble? Again?" Tifa couldn't help the smile that reached her lips at the slight irritation that had seeped in to his voice. While Sephiroth didn't necessarily dislike Sora, he wasn't his favorite boy in the ocean. His carefree attitude and silly nature never sat quite well with the stern merman. Tifa shook her head, then bit her lower lip nervously._**

**_" No, it wasn't Sora. It was... Someone else." He did not miss the hesitancy in her voice. Sephiroth clasped his hands behind his back and began swimming in a slow circle around his daughter. _**

**_" Who was he?" His voice was calm, like they were just talking about the whale's migration. She knew this was anything but. Heart hammering she focused only on the most basic of answers._**

**_" His name is Cloud." He arched a brow at the name, but never paused in his line of questioning._**

**_" And why did Cloud prevent you from returning home, where you were supposed to be?"_**

**_" He got hurt. I don't know how I just found him that way. I didn't want to leave him like that so I healed him." Sephiroth's eyes hardened at that. While her healing ability was a valuable talent, it was also a dangerous one. If done incorrectly, then Tifa would have been in serious danger. _**

**_" How bad were his injuries?"_**

**_" Cuts and bruises, a bad hit to the head and bruising all over his body. he was passed out when I found him. So I healed him." Sephiroth could feel the ' But' hanging in the air between them. His patience began to wear. Both at Tifa's clipped answers and her use of her powers without supervision._**

**_" And?" He pressed. Tifa closed her eyes, not wanting to see the furious look she knew she was about to receive._**

**_" I passed out on the way back to my ship." A loud bang made her jump and she involuntarily opened her eyes. Sephiroth had slammed his fist in to the wall. His back was to her, his body still. Slowly he turned to her, his eyes bright with anger._**

**_" Tifa, you KNOW you are not to perform magic without your tutor!" Her own anger bristling Tifa moved froward and threw her hands out in exasperation. _**

**_" Well, excuse me but he was hurt and it wasn't like I brought her with me! There wasn't any time!"_**

**_" It does not sound to me as if his needs were immediate!"_**

**_" So then what am I supposed to do with my magic if I can't use it?!" He shot forward and grabbed her shoulders firmly, giving her one good, hard shake for measure._**

**_" TIFA YOU COULD HAVE DIED!" The anger in his eyes and the fatherly fear in his voice was what broke her. Tifa blinked as her tears escaped from her eyes to disappear in to the water. Fisting her hands in the water she looked away from him and wiped at her eyes with a shaking hand._**

**_" Father, I'm sorry I scared you but I couldn't leave him alone like that! I just couldn't, okay?!" Tifa tried to stifle her sobs. She hated arguing with him. And lately, it seemed like all they ever did anymore. To her surprise, Sephiroth drew her in to his arms and embraced her as the dam finally broke loose and she cried on her father's shoulder. He let her cry, only holding on to her to let her emotions work themselves out. Eventually Tifa looked back up at him and He guided her to a rock to settle down on. He released his hold on her and swam back to look down at his daughter. Tifa wrapped a hand around her upper arm-a habit she had whenever she was upset. For a while they stayed silent, each one wondering what to say to the other. Sephiroth finally broke the tension.  
_**

**_" I understand your need to help others, Tifa. It's a natural thing in a young woman such as yourself. But be that as it may I worry that your compassion and kindness may yet be the death of you. Your powers are strong, but unpolished. You do not possess the necessary skills to ration and control the flow of your magic when you use it. In that, lies danger for you. If you over-reach your limits, then your powers can consume you completely. And if you were to come in to a situation too great for you, even if the need is dire, I fear you will not say no." She nodded in understanding. He had a point. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. The fact that she fainted was enough to tell her that her limits had been taxed._**

**_" I'm sorry, Father. I just didn't know what else to do." Slowly he swam over and sat with her on the rock. _**

**_" What's done is done." He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and hesitantly she nodded in agreement. _**

**_" So were you unconscious all of this time?" He continued. She shook her head and brushed back the hair that had drifted in front of her face._**

**_" No, just for the night. I stayed away because I wanted to check on him and see if he was okay. But I honestly wasn't sure if I'd see him again."_**

**_" And did you?" A nod._**

**_" Yeah." She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. " He was okay. Completely healed up like nothing had ever happened to him."_**

**_" And this Cloud, where is he from? That name is not familiar to me." Uh-oh! Now what?! Deciding to keep with the simple answers Tifa shrugged._**

**_" I don't know." She shot her father a rueful glare. " I was talking to him when you summoned me back home. I left him so quickly, he probably thinks I'm crazy or something." _**

**_" Just one more thing: How old is this merman?" She inwardly smiled at the word ' merman.' He didn't know Cloud was human. She just might get away with it. Her mind going back to the question she mentally scanned over what features she recalled. ( As if she could forget any!)_**

**_" I don't know. Probably around my age if I had to guess. Maybe a year or two older...?" Sephiroth looked away, and Tifa had the distinct feeling he was uncomfortable. Abd the way he was studying her was making her feel on edge._**

**_" You...want to see him again?" Cheeks flushing in embarassment Tifa thought back to the human she was so intrigued by. _**

**_" Yes." Her answer, he knew, was honest. Sephiroth moved off of the rock to hover in front of her and crossed his arms.  
_**

**_" I see no harm in it. But I do want to meet this boy when the opportunity presents itself." Tifa smiled and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his display of parental control._**

**_" Maybe one day." He hummed in agreement and then smirked down at her. _**

**_" But for the time being...you are grounded to the home for one week. Apart from your studies you are to stay here." Tifa's eyes widened indignantly. A week?! That wasn't fair! She had only been gone three extra days! He had known where she was!_**

**_" But-!" He held up a hand to silence her._**

**_" If you found him once, then you can find him again." Then he turned around and swam out of the grotto. That, apparently, was the end of the discussion. With a loud groan Tifa threw her body back so that she was reclining on the slanted rock. A week confined to the home. Great._**

* * *

**_Per her father's request ( quiet demand) Tifa went to see her teacher to make sure she was truly fully recovered from having used her powers. Tifa's teacher reside in a sect of underwater ruins which were once a part of a great city. But the tall, stone-carved pillars and the mossy mosaic rooms now only served as a ghostly reminder that humanity's will do dominate was both powerful and pitiful. According to legend the ruins were once apart of humanity's will to defy even the sea as an unconquerable thing. They built the city to stretch over the water supposedly to eliminate the need for ships. In this way the stones were to be better suited to tackling storms than a ship and in this way they hoped to improve trade and commerce. But being literally on top of the sea also gave them license to kill their sea-life. It was not unusual back then to see scores of whales and sharks floating on the water, having been killed just for sport. Back then Merfolk and man had interacted openly. And peace-talks were made by the aristocrats of the sea to persuade the humans to stop polluting the ocean's water with both whatever they discarded and the senseless killing of animals. Some treaties were honored. Other parts of the sea engaged in civil wars with the humans, adding merpeople to the list of floating bodies in the ocean. In legend it is said that the sea-god Leviathan was so enraged at human's disrespect for the ocean that he called a mighty storm to destroy the city. What man had thought indestructible was rent asunder and the city of stone crumbled under Leviathan's storm. Hundreds of humans died, and what wasn't destroyed sank to the bottom of the sea. Parts of the city remained intact, scattered all over the ocean. It was in one of these sites where Tifa's mentor and her mate lived._**

**_ She was in one of those rooms now, a beautiful mural depicting dolphins leaping under a golden sun lined every inch of the room. Moss covered the ceiling in waves, small crystals of light tied to the swaying plants giving the room a dream-like glow. Tifa lay in a hollowed-out long spiral shell, stuffed with kelp and seaweed as Aeris moved her hands over her body, her fingers emitting a soft green glow as she worked. " I hope you had fun playing healer. I'm sure I'll be hearing from Sephiroth sometime soon." She said al of this with a light air, but Tifa could feel the imminent reprimand. " Tifa, you know performing that level of magic is unsafe." And there it was. Tifa huffed and crossed her arms._**

**_" You sound like my father." She grumbled. Aeris just shrugged as she swam over to her chest of spells._**

**_" Well sometimes he isn't wrong, you know." Tifa rolled her eyes. It was times like these she wondered if Aeris could remember that she was her teacher-not her mother. And while Tifa liked Aeris well enough, sometimes her " Perfect-ness" as she would call it, would grate on her last nerve. Beautiful, intelligent and powerful, it seemed to many ( Tifa included) that Aeris had the perfect life. _****_Aeris was the most talented healer in the ocean, as far as she knew. Like Tifa she could heal the body-which was why she was Tifa's tutor in magic. But Aeris's abilities went further than that. Not only could she heal the body, but she could even heal the mind. She could permanently cure one of bad dreams, soothe the mental scars of soldiers who suffered from battle haunts, among other malady findings. It was rumored that she could even heal a broken heart.  
_**

**_Her long, flowing brown hair was confined to a twisting tail that was held by a strip of seaweed at each end of her hair. Her tail, resembling that of an angel fish was a pretty pink color with a mother-of-pearl sheen to her scales. Her breasts were concealed by red clam shells she had found and fashioned in to a bra. Although she was young in appearance, Aeris was actually a whole ten years older than her. It was common knowledge that her husband Zack was one of the captains in Angeal's army. He was the very thing mermaids dream of: Spiky black hair which framed an angular, yet boyish face. Indigo eyes that radiated kindness. A full mouth which was always smiling. Powerful muscles roped his body and a tail which resembled a dolphin-like Sora's. Only his was a dark, solid grey color. The two of them had been married for three years and while they were some of the nicest people Tifa had ever known...their level of sappiness could only be tolerated for so long. _**

**_Before every mission Zack would hide love letters for Aeris to find. And when he came back it was always with a gift for his wife. A pearl necklace. A rare jewel. A rock filled with rainbow crystals. A gold tiara. A water lily made of diamonds. Seriously, one would think he would come back with a shaman just so they could become bonded all over again. ( And knowing him one day he just might...) Aeris pulled back from her chest and swam over to Tifa as she sat up from the shell bed. " The good news is there was no lasting damage done. You're completely fine, but I want you to take this scroll and practice the spells in it." Tifa accepted the leathery tome and eyed it curiously._**

**_" What is it?" Aeris shrugged nonchalantly. _**

**_" Small spells to practice your healing on. Try lancing some crabs multiple times and healing their wounds." Tifa's brows furrowed indignantly. Healing small game? That didn't sound like a challenge to her at all. If anything she felt like her teacher was babying her._**

**_" Crabs?"_**

**_" Or lobsters if you prefer. You could always go for octopus or squid, but it's so hard to catch them and keep them in one place long enough to experiment on. Then again, the chase might help you to concentrate." Aeris smiled at the skepticism on her pupils face and sat down on the bed. " Healing something with multiple moving parts is good exercise. It'll make you focus on the specific areas that are hurt and force you to measure out your own powers to sync with them. It'll help make you more aware." Ah, so this was the point. Tifa couldn't disagree with that. She DID need more practice. ( Maybe next time she wouldn't pass out...) Nodding she swam up to Aeris and gave her a slight bow. _**

**_" Thank you, Aeris." The other woman smiled and ruffled Tifa's hair as an older sister might. Batting her hand away Tifa swam off to find shell fish to torture. She could work her way up to octopus._**

* * *

**_She was real. Magic was real. Mermaids were real. These thoughts were like glue to his brain. It was the only thing he could think on, and he was stuck to it hard. Cloud was beginning to re-evaluate every fairy tale he'd ever heard in his life. Foremost was the story of the Little Mermaid. Not that Disney crap that children watched on t.v, but the real story he'd read in the town library. A mermaid saved a prince from drowning and fell in love with him. So much that she wanted to become human. A sea-witch promised her legs in exchange for her voice, which was peerless in beauty. She agreed, and her tail was split in two and she was born a human in a cloud of her own blood. She finds the prince and even though she can't talk, the girl and the prince form a relationship. And for awhile everything goes fine. Until the prince meets a catholic princess, who happened to be there with him the same day the mermaid saved him. Because he never saw the mermaid, he thinks the princess was his savior, so he marries her and pretty much forgets about the mute girl he had started to fall for._**

**_The mermaid's sisters find out about everything and they cut off their hair and give it to the sea-witch in exchange for a magic dagger. All the mermaid has to do is stab the prince in the heart and let the blood fall on her legs. Then she can become a mermaid again and go home. But the Mermaid is too in love with the prince to go through with it, so she throws herself in to the sea and her body dissolves in to sea foam and she dies. Because of her pure love, the foam she has become is able to float to heaven, where she becomes an angel to watch over her prince. _**_' Shit, that's depressing.'** But that's how the real story went. Before he always thought of it as a strange story made-up by a depressed, overly-imaginative author. But now he was actually curious to know just how much of that story could be true.**_

_**A woman's shrieking brought him out of his thoughts and his head snapped up as his eyes took in the scene in front of him. **_**_Shit. He knew this was going to happen. As he was coming up to his house he noticed the last thing he wanted to see: A mousy looking woman with long, wavy brown hair and square glases staring haughtily at his mother, and even from his distance he could hear her clipped, angry tones. Elena's Mom. Fuck! Cloud ducked behind a neighbor's fence and crept around the women to stand against the side of the house. He kept out of sight and listened intently to what was being said. Elena's mother, Shannon, was making a lot of noise. Hell, even Mr. Conrad was able to listen in two houses away. "...And it's all your Bastard's fault! My DAUGHTER, Liz! Her wrist was broken because of him! Seven weeks in a cast and all you can say is SORRY?!" He shut his eyes tight as the guilt bubbled over in his chest. Damn. He broke her wrist. Even if it was self-defense the guilt froze the bones in his chest. He knew he should have told her sooner. His mother's voice carried now, soft but unnaturally cold._**

**_" I understand how you feel. It's the worst feeling in the world when you child is hurt. As a mother I completely understand. What I don't understand is why you would say Cloud did it for no reason. My son doesn't just go around hurting people. Despite what you think I raised him better than that. I always tell him he is never allowed to start a fight, but he can finish it if he has to. So tell me why he had to." _****_A sarcastic laugh from Shannon. _**

**_" You're asking me to explain your son's violent behavior to YOU?! Fighting in the streets, in the school-hell! He's been suspended for a week for hitting poor Scarlet!"_**

**_" She provoked him and it was just a shove!"_**

**_" Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Liz." A bitter laugh escaped his mother's mouth._**

**_" I'm the one that's been cast aside and sneered at for however long and for what?! For loving someone?! And what do you have to show for yourself?! A sham marriage and a bitch of a daughter! And I am sorry! I'm sorry your daughter is so fucking dumb!"_**

**_"YOU-_**

**_" SHUT UP! _****_ I have tried talking to you, the principal, and all of the other goddamn parents in this town-even the police when it's come to it, for bullying my son and for what?! What has been done? Nothing! You wanna know why he gets in to fights?! It's because of self-righteous, self-serving people like you who put others down to make themselves feel better!" Shannon began to retort back but Eliza beat her to it. " NO! YOU SAY HE ATTACKED HER FOR NO REASON?! WELL HERE'S WHAT I THINK! I THINK YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL AND HER FRIENDS WERE BORED SO THEY SOUGHT MY KID OUT AND TRIED TO BULLY HIM AGAIN! HE FOUGHT HIS WAY OUT AND YOUR DAUGHTER WAS COLLATERAL DAMAGE! TELL ME THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE HER!" He could hear Elena's mom sobbing. _**

**_" YOU BITCH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! YOU AND YOUR BASTARD YOU CALL A-"_**

**_Don't you dare finish that sentence." Eliza's voice had taken a chilling edge in her quietness. Everything was quiet. Not even the birds were singing. " You see, I am _****_all_****_ about my kid. You press charges against him with your husband's badge, and I'll tell him about how you spend your days when he's on duty." Silence. His mother laughed coldly. " You think I haven't seen you around town with him? You think I haven't paid any attention to those stolen kisses or hotel hook-ups? And I've even got a couple of pictures on my phone to back it up. In fact, I've got dirt on pretty much every person in this fucked-up town that I'll be only too happy to share. Yours included. You wanna go after my kid? Fine. Bring it on, Slut. See if you can still spread your legs when I'm done with you." Cloud's mouth had been steadily opening as he had listened in. Now he was pretty sure it was on the floor. Was this HIS mom?! This cool, sassy, swearing badass? THIS was her?! ( And church-going saint Shannon was a slut?! His Mom HAD that kind _****_of dirt?! Shit!) _****_A sniffle from Elena's mom snapped him back from his understandable moment of shock._**

**_" You can't protect him forever, Elizabeth. One day he's gonna get it, I swear to you." She sobbed._**

**_" Only when I'm dead, Shannon." Apparently she had nothing to say to that. He peeked around the corner to watch her retreating back, arms crossed as she sniffled away. He sensed her gaze and came out fully to face her. Her eyes burned like cold steel as she opened the door for him. Wordlessly he entered. The door was shut quietly behind him. Suddenly Eliza grabbed the shoulder of his shirt and spun him around to face her, fury and all. She pushed him firmly in to the door and spoke to him with the same dangerous tones he had heard her use on Shannon. In this moment, he knew there was a hell. " You'd better pray you didn't just make me look like a fool, Cloud. Now you tell me. What the HELL HAPPENED?!"_**

* * *

**_Done! Sooooo...yeah. Thoughts? Expectations? Sushi? ( I actually had a pet koi named sushi. Lol. I need help.) I included the history of the little mermaid for a friend because she actually didn't know the real story. So I told her to read mine to hear it. So IZZY, YOU'D BETTER LEAVE ME A REVIEW! ROAR! Please R&amp;R and bless your happy happiness._**


	7. To Tell The Truth

_**Yo! I'm back guys! Sorry for the long wait but you know me. I always take too long. Sorry! Here's the next chapter of Deep Blue!**_

* * *

_**To Tell The Truth**_

_**Cloud couldn't look away as his mother held his shirt collar tightly, her eyes blazing fury as she spoke to him. " What the HELL HAPPENED?!" Cloud swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and began telling her what he should have days ago.**_

_**" I got jumped by Rufus and his friends. I was at the lighthouse place at first, but when I was coming home, I ran in to them at the old chocobo barn on the outskirts of town." Eliza released her hold on him and he rolled his shoulders to relieve some of the tension. She crossed her arms expectantly in front of her as he continued to tell his side of the story. **_

_**" Who them?"**_

_**" Rufus, Tseng and Elena. He was giving me crap about his girlfriend."**_

_**" Scarlet." A nod. In truth, Eliza had been wondering if or when Rufus Shinra might confront Cloud about Scarlet.**_

_**" Yeah. He was giving me grief about what happened when I shoved her. He was talking shit about how I like to hit women and stuff. Then he decided to get revenge or whatever, so the fight started. At that point I just wanted to leave. I tried to just duck and dodge, but there came a point where I had to break free. Hell, I was getting hammered. So I..." He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. This was the part he had been dreading of the entire time. " I grabbed Elena's hand because she was hitting me the most...and twisted it to get away." Eliza groaned and covered her face with her hands. " I know, I know! It was not my best moment. But what else was I supposed to do?!"**_

_**" Cloud I'm sorry but this doesn't help! First Scarlet and now Elena! Do you even know how bad this looks?"**_

_**" But I didn't want to hurt them, Mom! I didn't want to fucking hurt anybody!"**_

_**" Well good luck proving it now!"**_

_**" Shit, Mom! I'm sorry, okay?!" Eliza heaved a shaky sigh as she ran her trembling fingers through her hair. Cloud was a smart, strong and capable young man. So why was he acting so dumb?! In hindsight she knew this kind of confrontation was inevitable. Everyone here knows everyone, and that means everyone knows everyone's business. At this point the newspapers they sold in town were obsolete. So when Scarlet got hurt of course her rich, entitled boyfriend would go looking for Cloud. The smart thing would have been to let them beat him up a little, then report it so Rufus and his gang would get in to trouble. True, because of the Shinra family's name he would have only gotten a slap on the wrist, but the bad publicity for the wealthy tycoons would have been enough. What had happened was Cloud chose to defend himself ( and he wasn't entirely wrong...) and ended up hurting another girl. Now Cloud was the villain. But...if it were her she would have most likely done the same thing in his position. And lord knows she has in fact, done worse.**_

_**" What's done is done." She sighed.**_

_**" Macbeth." Cloud said automatically, his tone flat. But she could see the ghost of a smile on his lips. Not quite there but wanting to be.**_

_**" Don't try to be cute now, Cloud. This is serious." A nod.**_

_**" I know."**_

_**" There's going to be repercussions from this from all over now."**_

_**" I know."**_

_**" It's two girls that you've hurt now. You look worse than before and even though they might have deserved it, the fact alone that girls are involved is going to bite you in the ass. Hard."**_

_**" Yeah, I know." Whereas before his responses had been indifferent, now they took on an annoyed edge. Eliza walked over and did the only thing she could think of: Hold her son. Cloud accepted her embrace immediately and they held on to each other for some time. She felt tired. Her mind was numb, her body was heavy, and her voice was soft when she spoke to him, her forehead pressed to his shoulder.**_

_**" What are we going to do?" Cloud rubbed her back and inhaled her perfume through her hair, then let his breath go feeling as drained as she was.**_

_**" I don't know." He murmured.**_

* * *

_**Cloud wandered around aimlessly outside, hands in his pockets as he thought about what had happened today. It had been both a good day and a bad day. The bad news was that the thing he had been dreading for days finally happened. His mom and found out about Elena's injury, thanks to him. It had been both amazing and terrifying to see his mother of all people cussing out Elena's mom and threatening her. It was a side of her he wasn't even sure he had known about. Yeah, his mom could get scary mad...but until today he'd never seen THAT. Still, he wondered about what she had said to Shannon. That she had dirt on her and that she knew Shannon was cheating on her husband. How could she be so judgemental of them when she was doing stuff way worse than what his mom and dad ever did. Cloud couldn't quite remember that old saying about glass houses and whatever, but he was pretty sure it applied here.**_

_**The good thing about today was the mermaid. Not only did he get to talk to her today, she told him her name. Tifa. Then she proceeded to freak out over a nameless something and disappeared. That still puzzled Cloud. Especially when she said she was afraid of him. Granted a lot of people were but...why her? He had never done anything to her as far as he could remember. Then the thought came to him. Tifa was the first mermaid he had ever seen in his life. Was it possible Tifa had never seen a human before? But she must have at some point, right? How else cold she talk? Where would she have learned English? Did they teach stuff like English, math, science or history in the merpeople's world? ( Assuming that's what it's even called.) There were so many questions ping-ponging around in his head he wasn't sure what to make of any of it. A light laugh brought him out of his musings and he looked to the source of the sound.**_

_**Denzel was sitting on the porch of his house, completely engrossed in a colossal looking book. Not something an elementary student would be carting around. Pure curiosity directed the blonde over to the boy until he was standing right in front of him. Denzel was so in to the massive volume he didn't even notice he was there. Cloud tilted his head to read the title of the book. It read: The Norton Shakespeare, Based On The Midgar Edition. Damn, the kid wasn't joking when he said he was a bookworm. This was college level shit! Sensing his stare Denzel raised his head to meet Cloud's raised eyebrows. Giggling sheepishly Denzel scratched the back of his head and tapped the rim of the cover with a finger. " Ummm...too much?" Shrugging Cloud walked around the kid to sit down on the step beside him, resting his arms on his knees.**_

_**" A little, but that's okay. That's just you, right?" Denzel stared at Cloud in something akin to awe. Up to this point the only ones who had never made fun of his reading habits were his teachers or his parents. **' I knew there was a reason I liked him.'** Denzel thought. **__**" Can you actually understand that?" He asked, thinking back to his own experience with the playwright in his literature class. He'd had to pair his copy of Hamlet with a dictionary just to understand a page of it. Denzel placed a black strip of paper in the chapter, nodding as he closed the book.**_

_**" Yeah."**_

_**" Don't most kids read fairy tales or something?" He asked. Denzel hummed in agreement and drummed his fingers on the hard cover on his lap.**_

_**" I did. I read the real Grimm's fairy tales though, and Hans Christian Anderson's classics. It's not the stuff they read to you at story time, that's for sure." He didn't know why, but suddenly it seemed to Cloud that Denzel might be someone he could talk about the mermaid to. **' No, I can't just call her a mermaid. She has a name. It's Tifa.'** That he was even able to think that thought amazed him to no end. How many people-if any could say they knew a mermaid by name?**_

_**" Sooo...where'd ya think those stories come from? I mean, I know the author writes that crap but...where would he get the idea for these fairy tales?" Denzel stared up at him, both pleasantly surprised by the fact that Cloud wanted to talk to him, and curious as to why. Deciding not to over-think it as he was wont to do he decided to let his mind go. Just talk.**_

_**" Well, lots of places. Little Red Cap was based on the idea that wolves are carnivorous creatures who eat people-not that I've ever heard of that actually happening but they will attack if they feel threatened or provoked. Stories like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty or Thumbelina came from fairies-which people actually believe in throughout some places in the world. They could either be wicked tricksters or benevolent beings. Some places call them little angels. Did you know that?"**_

_**" No." Denzel nodded as if he expected this and then continued speaking. Cloud absorbed every word. Especially when he began talking about mermaids.**_

_**" I didn't think so. Most people don't. But other stories like Beauty And The Beast and Snow White are more like cautionary tales. Y'know: Beauty is more than just skin deep, be nice to people and people will be nice to you. Be mean and...well you get it. And then mermaids are like fairies. People used to think they exist. Some still do."**_

_**" What like people said they...saw them, or something?" Denzel nodded enthusiastically.**_

_**" Yeah. Today that's not possible on any level but to some, yeah they exist." Cloud mulled this information over, again wondering if Hans had seen a mermaid of his own. The book was written a very long time ago after all.**_

_**" Sooo, maybe these authors thought they saw fairies and dragons and...mermaids, and wrote about them." The boy shrugged casually and adjusted the book in his arms.**_

_**" Maybe. Why d'ya ask?" He was half-tempted to tell Denzel about Tifa. If anything to say the words out loud, and maybe for someone else to know, just for the sake of knowing. Maybe then he could convince himself that all of this wasn't crazy. But the fact that he barely knew the boy was what held him back. Yeah, he was a nice enough kid, but could he be trusted with this of all things? No, maybe it's better to find out more about her rather than just blurt everything out mindlessly. Besides, he wanted to find her again. To talk to her. If he could, that is. Somehow he felt it would be best to just keep Tifa's existence to himself for now. Too much involvement could be problematic. Hell, HIM knowing was already a problem.**_

_**" Just curious." Was all he ended up saying. Denzel nodded consentingly and the two of them sat on the porch, contented to just sit in silence.**_

* * *

_**Tifa tugged hard at the tentacle wrapped tightly around her neck. She tugged and clawed as her windpipe pulsed painfully. On inspiration she used her fingernails to pinch harshly at a sucker on the appendage. The octopus jerked and she used this to her advantage. The tentacle's grip had loosened up just enough for her to maneuver her head down. With a final burst of adrenaline she bit in to the rubbery flesh as hard as she possibly could. Blood bloomed in a small could around her mouth and the octopus released it's grip on her. She didn't waste any more time. She snapped her tail forwards and swan as hard and as fast away from the creature as she could. She looked back. The ink cloud in the distance told her the octopus had the same idea. It wasn't coming after her. Tifa sank down to the ocean floor, lying down panting like a fish out of water.**_

_**Per her teacher's suggestion Tifa had taken a knife she kept in her room and gone out to hunt small game with multiple parts to maim them, then heal them. This way it would force her to concentrate her energy more and help direct the flow of her magic. Though due to her week's confinement, she was only allowed a mile from the home. So far in the past three days she had practiced on six crabs, three king crabs, one jellyfish ( Because that sting she got hurt too much to try more than once!) three hermit crabs, ten sea centipedes, and four small squid. She was loathe to admit when Aeris was right-because that seemed to be her only function. But she had to admit it again. Aeris was right. She could feel a difference in the way her magic flowed when she healed, the balancing between where her magic began and where her life-energy flowed. It had turned out to be a very good form of training.**_

_**So naturally she felt she might be ready to take on the octopus. Big mistake. HUGE MISTAKE! When she threw the dagger at the octopus's head, it had spit it's ink instantly, blinding her even though she had been above it. Too busy trying to wave the ink away with her hand it had taken it's opportunity and seized her tail, dragging her down. She'd stabbed it in a frenzy, trying to get away. But no matter what she did the vengeful creature just kept finding places to grab her and hold her down until it had her by the neck. By the time Tifa had bit the octopus and gotten away she knew there was no healing that thing. And now here she was, panting and running her finger along her teeth, pretty sure some of the octopus's skin had gotten wedged in there. Ugh.**_

_**At this point she had become so exhausted from the fight she wasn't sure she would have been able to heal the thing anyways. Sure, she knew octopi were great hunters and they were notorious for attacking from below. That was why she had purposefully attacked from above. She figured if she could take away it's best form of attack head-on, then it would be easier to incapacitate. At least, it had made sense when she planned on attacking it. Octopus: 1. Tifa: 0. Not the session she had been planning on. Her fingernail touched something rubbery around her eye-teeth and using her nails she plucked out what looked like a shred of skin with a small vein attached. Ugh part two. Grumpily she flicked the remnants of her failed experiment away, watching it float lazily in the water around her. she flipped over on her back, watching the dancing lights of the sun as they reflected on the blue water around her. Blue water. Blue eyes.**_

_**For what had to be the millionth time in the past three days her mind went back to Cloud. " Hey Tifa!" She looked askance from where she lay amd let a tired smile stretch across her lips. Sora swam over to her, stopping just above her so that he was upside-down to her sea-bed view. " Still here? I would have thought you would have gone back to your ship by now." Tifa hummed in agreement, already missing her second home. With a sigh she heaved herself in to a sitting position and let her tail stretch out in front of her.**_

_**" I would have, but I'm confined to the home for all of this week." Sora whistled and rubbed the back of his neck as he puzzled over this latest development.**_

_**" Confined for a week? Geez, what did you do?" Tifa opened her mouth, then closed it. She wanted to tell Sora all about what had happened with Cloud. Meeting him, talking to him. All of it. But would it be safe to? She knew he could keep a secret. THAT wasn't the problem at all. No, it was more than that. If-and this was a very big IF... If her father ever found out about any of this there would be hell to pay for both herself and Cloud. AND anyone else who happened to know. Was it selfish of her to want to share this? Or was there safety in having someone else who would know? In case she needed someone. Just to be there for whatever happened? **_

_**In the end she knew that she had to tell him. If she didn't then if something were to ever happen, whatever it might be, then Sora would need to know anyways. Sure of herself, Tifa swam up from the floor and took one of his hands in both of hers **__**" Okay, I'm gonna tell you. But you have to swear on everything there is that you won't tell my father." Sora scoffed good-naturedly and rolled his eyes.**_

_**" Like we hang out." Tifa shook her head dismissively.**_

_**" It doesn't matter! Look, please say you'll never breathe a word of this to him. Promise!" Sora nodded compliantly. He knew Tifa wouldn't make him swear such things unless it was something major. **_

_** " Okay, okay. I promise. Now will you please tell me what's been going on?" Tifa tugged on his hand and together they sat down on a boulder nearby. **' Well, here it goes.'** Tifa drew in a deep breath and spoke the words aloud.**_

_**" I met a human." There was a long stretch of silence that followed. Tifa stared nervously at Sora as he stared back at her, blinking once. Then Twice. Until finally...**_

_**" That is so COOL!" **_

_**"Ssssh!" She smiled brightly at Sora's excitement, his feeling bubbling over in to her as the secret was lifted from her shoulders. Bouncing happily where he sat Sora's smile was wider than a whale's.**_

_**" What happened?! How did you meet?! What's it like?! What-!" Tifa put a hand to his mouth as she giggled at his enthusiasm. **_

_**" Calm down and I'll tell you." Sora nodded like an obedient school-boy and Tifa began telling him how it happened. " Remember the first time we went above? Well, I wanted so see more, so I decided to go by myself. That's when I saw him." Sora started at the mention of the gender. **_

_**" Him? The human was a him?" Tifa nodded.**_

_**" When we first met he was unconscious. I don't know what happened to him but he was hurt. Badly. So I decided to put my lessons in healing to use and I healed him. The problem was I wasn't thinking about my energy output. I was just so focused on helping him that I put all of myself in to it and fixed it. He's fine now, by the way." Sora nodded, processing this information.**_

_**" So did you talk to 'em?"**_

_**" No. He woke up after I healed him, but I got so nervous and freaked-out that I ended up swimming away. And then I passed out." Sora's eyes widened considerably at that. His smile was instantly replaced with a frown of concern. Like a brother he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.**_

_**" Passed out? Wh-oooooh. Too much energy in the spell, huh?" Tifa nodded and swept away a part of her hair that floated in her face.**_

_**" Uh-huh. I was out for just one night. But then the next day I went back to see if he was okay. That's when we first spoke." Sora smiled again at that, patting her on the arm then letting his hand fall back to the side.**_

_**" So how'd it go?" A wince.**_

_**" Not so good. He knew someone was watching and he wanted them-slash-me to come out. I thought if I stayed still he would give up. Instead he fell on the roks right behind me and nearly scared the life out of me. I thought he was going to attack me then. Instead he asked me if I was okay." Sora's mouth visibly dropped at that and Tifa smiled at his expression. He looked exactly how she had felt at that moment. " I know, right? So we started talking then. He told me his name and...I told him mine." **_

_**" Soooo, what IS his name?"**_

_**"...Cloud. I got to shake his hand even." He ran a hand through his hair, letting the air out in a rush of bubbles.**_

_**" So far he doesn't sound like a fish killing maniac. Funny name, though." She agreed, though disregarded what he said about Cloud's name. She happened to like it.**_

_**" Right? But then he saw my tail." Sora started at that, his brown lined with worry.**_

_**" Uh-oh. How did THAT go?"**_

_**" He remembered that I was the one who helped him before. He noticed I was afraid and he asked me why. I told him the truth. I was afraid of him. And then he asked me why again. I was going to tell him, but then Father called me home so I couldn't stay. And because I was gone too long I'm confined to the home for all of this week." Realization dawned on his face and Sora leaned back where he sat.**_

_**" So that's why you've been around the ruins lately." Another nod.**_

_**" Yeah. I want to see if I can find him again when this is all over with, but I'm not sure I'll even see him again. Especially if he thinks I'm not around anymore. Think about it. Gone for a week. He's probably forgotten all about me." Sora rolled his eyes and flicked his tail.**_

_**" Pfft. As if. From what you said I'll bet he's just as interested in you as you are in him." Sora sported a mischievous smile at her and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. " And you are interested, riiiight?" Tifa let out a disbelieving sound as her mouth opened in a smile.**_

_**" Sora!"**_

_**" He's good-looking I bet. You're blushing!"**_

_**" I am not!" Which even she knew was a lie. She could feel the heat on her own face. Sora laughed impishly and crossed his arms.**_

_**" Come on, it's me! Your imaginary little brother-you can tell me." Tifa laughed and shoved him off of the rock playfully, giggling as his limbs flailed before he put himself right. **_

_**" I've told you enough! Juts let me find him first, okay? If anything else happens then you'll be the first to know." Sora nodded, resigned to not knowing any more. Tifa's smile faded as she became serious. " And for the last time, please-"**_

_**" Yeah, I know. There's no way your dad can ever know about this. Even if you're his kid I don't think he'd go easy on you AT ALL if he found out about this." Unfortunately, she had to agree. Sephiroth was a judge for a reason, and there was a reason he was the most feared judge in the water. She didn't even want to think about what could happen to either of them. Growing up she had heard plenty of stories about her father's infamous temper. When he was angry enough it was said he was like a typhoon: He was powerful, destructive and indiscriminately cruel. Tifa shook her head and looked up at the waves on the water, forever reminding her of blue eyes.**_

_**" It's not me I'm worried about."**_

* * *

_**All done! So what do you guys think? Did Tifa do the right thing telling Sora? Should Cloud have told Denzel? Next chapter: They meet again! Please R&amp;R and as always bless your happy happiness!**_


	8. Phenomenon

**_Hey guys! I actually have another update! Soon for me, I know. But this meeting is one I've been planning for weeks now. So sit back and enjoy!_**

* * *

**_Phenomenon_**

_Notebook,_

_Well, It's been a few days now since I've written anything here. Mostly because there hasn't been much to write about. Scratch that-that's not entirely true. More like...I've been waiting to write something but all I can write is a little. Okay, so the most important thing here is the mermaid. I do have one thing to report. I met her. Her name is Tifa. How did it happen? Well, I just went to the place I saw her last ( The lighthouse place) and she was there hiding behind a shelf of rocks. Bizzare is the only thing I can think of to describe how our actual meeting went. When I first went, I thought I was being fucking insane and wasting my time on what was probably a hallucination anyways. Then I heard the splashing. Automatically I assumed the worst. That someone was pranking me. That pissed me off. I jumped down the rocks to see who it was and it ended up being her. I scared her when I came down. If her scared expression didn't tell me, her scream sure did. As for Tifa herself... words just can't do it justice here. I can give you the basics of what I saw when I looked at her but there was something so otherworldly about her that the English language just can't measure up here._

_She has long dark hair-like a deep brownish black. Her skin was paper white but I assume people who live underwater don't tan much. She had this face like... Like something an artist would paint. Or a face girls wish they had. And I'm gonna use my guy rights for a sec because this is MY journal. Damn that girl had a rack! And Mom, if in some alternate universe I happen to decide to share this diary with you and you just read that, sorry. But I'm a guy. We can't help but notice stuff like that. Deal with it. Okay, back to the topic. Tifa. So basically I scared her when we met and the girl I ended up meeting was drop-dead gorgeous. No wonder I thought I was hallucinating. I asked her if she was okay because despite assumption, I AM capable of being nice once in a while. I didn't mean to freak her out like that. She was calm when we started talking. She fessed-up to spying on me. She said she was curious. About what I'm not really sure. I did what comes naturally then: I asked for her name and then she asked for mine. Then once all was said and done I offered a handshake and she took it._

_By this time she was pretty close. I got a good look at her then. And her tail. Yes, I just wrote the word tail as in MERMAID TAIL. I'm assuming I wasn't really supposed to se that because she got real jumpy real quick. Now here's where it gets weirder. When I asked her what she was so afraid of, she said: " You." That's me. I don't know why she would be afraid of me since we've never met before. Maybe I can ask her more about it sometime. Then she panicked and said she'd been gone too long and she had to go. She said she was sorry and then dove back down. And this time she didn't hide her tail. It looked like it was dark purple. It all kinda happened so quick I'm surprised I remembered anything. So...yeah. THAT happened. I got to talk to that Denzel kid again. He said some pretty interesting stuff._

_I happened to ask him about fairy tales and he said a long time ago people believed in magic an dragons and mermaids. That they thought they saw them and made stories about them. Ever since finding out about Tifa I've been wondering how many of those fictional fairy tales we've been told are really non-fiction. What if we've really been told secrets that have been kept so well protected for so long BECAUSE no one would believe them. How believable is it that the town's own public enemy no.1 just so happened to discover a mermaid. I can just imagine the soap opera mom novel now. Would Fabio be on the cover portraying me? Nah, he's too old and I'm too whatever to be in any kind of story like that. Still..._

_Oh, yeah. Something else happened after I met Tifa. Hang on. __ It's about to get worse. When I came home, the thing that I was dreading but knew was gonna happen anyways, happened. Elena's mom was at our house, screeching about what I did to her precious baby girl. Mom was... I can't even begin to describe how awesome she was. She cussed her out, slammed her for cheating on her husband-a cop I might add, and mom said she had the dirt to go public with it if she tried to harass me. Her mom Shannon backed off real quick after that. But them Mom decided to have the same kind of talk to me. I told her everything. I guess it would be redundant to say she was pissed. But she seemed to have let it go for the most part. I still feel like shit for it though. I won't lie and say Elena didn't deserve to have her wrist broken because she totally did. But I didn't mean to hurt her like that. And I never wanted to disappoint mom. AGAIN. _

_I'm just gonna end this entry here because there's really nothing else to say. And I don't feel like writing anymore._

**_Cloud threw down his pen, sighing heavily through his nose as he re-read what he had written. It had been almost over a week since he had seen her. And tomorrow he was due to go back to school. Greeeeaat. Per his mother's request to lay low Cloud had stayed in the house for the remainder of his suspension. He had been occupying his time with reading his old book of children's stories, looking up facts ( Or supposed facts) about mermaids on the internet, watching whatever interested him in the moment on t.v and when he felt frustrated, playing the mot violent video games in his collection. And if he got too pent-up then he would work it out by beating the living hell out of the punching bag in the basement. It seemed to his aching arms and hands that he did this the most._**

**_But seeing as this was his last day before he went back, he was pretty sure his mom would let him out of the house for a little bit. And he wanted to see if he could find her again. Would Tifa still be around after a week has gone by? He doubted it, but it was worth a try. He stood up and stretched his neck from side to side, feeling the stiffness disappear as soon as he cracked his neck on either side. That chair was a pain in the ass. Sighing Cloud put on his black boots then straightened his dark blue t-shirt. Would a mermaid care if his shirt was a little wrinkled? Fuck, he didn't care. Rolling his eyes at his own stupidity he walked out of his room and down the stairs. An ear-piercing shriek had him arching a brow at the television. His mom was on the couch, watching an old black and white horror movie with a smile on her face. She often told him she liked them because the actors were so over the top it was more like a comedy than a horror movie to her. He loved her, but sometimes she was weird._**

**_" Hey, Mom."_**

**_" Hi, Honey. What do you need?" She asked, never taking her eyes off of the screen. Well, here it goes._**

**_" Can I go to the lighthouse place? I need to be outside for a bit." Eliza sighed and turned her gaze from the t.v to stare warily at her son._**

**_" I don't know, Cloud. I'd feel better if you just stayed put." _**_' Yeah, I know.'_

_**" I've been ' Staying put' for days. I promise I won't talk to anybody in town. I just want to be outside." Well, at least that wasn't a lie. Tifa DEFINITELY wasn't from town. Eliza seemed to think it over. And when she sighed a defeated breath Cloud knew he had won.**_

_**" Okay but please just be careful."**_

_**" Thanks, Mom." Cloud rushed over to kiss her on the cheek, then he all but ran out of the house, only one destination in mind.**_

* * *

**_Tifa swam as fast as she could, her excitement overpowering everything. Would he be there? Would they get to talk again? After several excruciating days Tifa had asked her father if she could leave home. To her delight he had agreed to let her go a day early! She highly suspected it was because she had been doing nothing but practicing her magic the entire time. Whatever the reason she was grateful for it. She looked up and breathed out as the waves danced above her. Slowly she breached the surface. It felt warm today, but not unbearably so. She looked around herself. trying to get her bearings. This was the place. As if she could forget the place she had met Cloud for the first time. She felt the first twinges of disappointment as she surveyed the area. She was alone here. Only the sun in the sky and the clouds up above for her to see. The waves crashed against the rocks. The water glittered in the sun. All of these little things still held fascination for her. But without Cloud somehow it seemed... Pointless._**

**_Maybe he was somewhere else? Pondering this Tifa dove back down to circle the area. _****_Meanwhile Cloud was nearly out of breath as he ran to the lighthouse place. He had made damn sure no one saw him as he had left town. Once he was past the town limit he had run all the way to his place, only stopping once to catch his breath. Now he was here, with the sound of the waves to greet him and the smell of the sea. From the bluff he couldn't see much. That he already knew. He couldn't look for her here. If she even was here. No, he would have to climb all the way down to find her. So that's exactly what he did. Cloud easily maneuvered over the rocks and down the slippery, sandy slopes that dogged his path. He stumbled slightly on a wet ledge, but this minor infraction was his only misstep. Now he was on the flat rock surface he had met her first. He looked out on the water, scanning the waves carefully. _**

**_She wasn't there. _**

**_Maybe she was on the other side, where he had scared her? Or was she on another part of the shoreline? Fuck was she even here at all? He knew he was alone. No one would dare try to traverse these parts like he did. So he felt safe in the thought that there was only one way to make sure she was gone. He walked to the ledge and called for her. " Tifa! Are you out there?!" The waves splashed against the shore, spraying the land with water. He walked along the rocks, making his way over to where they had talked before. He decided to try again. " Tifa! It's Cloud! Are you there?!" Nothing. Then he heard it. A splash. A rustle of water approaching him. A soft, feminine voice._**

**_" I'm here." He spun around so fast he nearly lost his balance on the ledge as he followed the sound of her voice. She was there. Just a few yards away in the water, her upper half exposed from the blue waves. Cloud jumped down the stone steps to her, stopping where he was close enough to talk to her but far enough to not startle her. She WAS afraid of him, after all._**

**_" Hey." Tifa stared back at the man who had been haunting her thoughts for days. She had heard him calling to her from below, like a siren song and she was unable to do anything but swim up to meet him. But...now what?_**

**_" Hello." She said. Cloud knelt down on the rocks to talk to her easier._**

**_" I wasn't sure you'd be here."_**

**_" Yeah, I wasn't sure you would be here, either." That surprised him. Did that mean she came back to see him?_**

**_" You were looking for me?" She nodded, her face calm. She didn't seem as afraid as before. " You said before you were afraid of me." Another statement. She only decided to nod her head again, not sure what to say. Whereas before she had a million things to say to him, now the words seemed lost to her. Cloud took her silent reply and rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of himself. This act made her smile somewhat. Sora did the same thing when he didn't know what to do. " You're not now?"_**

**_"...I dunno." He accepted this answer and decided to sit down. He could tell she wasn't going to disappear this time. _**

**_" You said before you were afraid of me. Why?" _****_Tifa swam forward slowly and stopped when she was just below him where he sat._**

**_" Because humans are thought to be beings of greed and destruction in my world. Mindless murderers." She looked back up to see the incredulous stare aimed at her. " It's what we're taught." She stated, albeit a little defensive as he was still sporting that look. He was silent for a time, thinking this over. Well, if that was all she had ever known of people like him, the no wonder she was afraid before. But then, what had he done to make that change for her?_**

**_" What changed?" Tifa bit her lower lip as a nervous smile took it's place there._**

**_" You didn't try to kill me?" Cloud smirked as the thought worked it's way around in it's head. Him? Kill her? Unlikely. There were plenty of other people on his shit list he could reserve that honor for._**

**_" Mermaids are myths. They are either sirens who eat human flesh or muses for beauty and art. That's what we're taught." Cloud offered her a wry smile. " Looks like we're both kinda wrong." Tifa smiled back at him shyly, laughing quietly at what he just said. He had a point _****_" So this is real. Your tail isn't a costume prop or anything?" Smiling Tifa placed her hands on the flat surface and hoisted herself out of the water. It was a bit of a climb to reach him. She grabbed the smaller boulders and rocks along the path and used them to climb up so that she was sitting right beside him. Her tail was out for the world to see, her fins flashing in the sunlight as it waved lazily back and fourth. Cloud's eyes widened as he took in every detail of what he was seeing. Her tail was a pretty purple color, which seemed to change when she moved. From purple to a kind of bluish-green, then back with every small movement. Like those holographic greeting cars they sold at the corner store. Her tail was slender, but her fin was shaped like a dolphin or a whale's. Tifa smiled at his disbelieving stare and open curiosity as she drummed her fingers on the rocks._**

**_" You wanna touch it?" She offered, feeling much bolder than before. Cloud's head jerked up and he raised his hand hesitantly._**

**_" It's okay?" She nodded and scooted back a little further up the rocks to get more comfortable._**

**_" Go ahead." Slowly, Cloud reached out and his fingers made contact with her tail. He wondered why he should be so surprised when he felt that her tail felt, well, like a fish. It was slimy, smooth and he could feel the raw muscle in her tail from all the swimming she did. He let his hand roam over her, feeling the texture of the scales as they caressed his hand. Tifa hardly dared to breathe as Cloud explored her tail, the sensations she was feeling making her feel very flustered. No one had ever touched her so intimately before. It was both nerve-wracking and stimulating at the same time. She bit down on her lower lip to stifle the giggle at the look on Cloud's face. So focused and amazed at what she took for granted every day. He trailed his hand from her hip area down slowly, flexing his hand as he did to feel more. She smiled through gritted teeth, trying to both look like nothing was wrong and fighting the moan of pleasure that wanted to escape. What would he think if he heard that? Mercifully she was saved by her own body. His fingers probed the are around where her knees might have been and her tail jerked harshly as loud shout of a laugh escaped her mouth. Cloud jerked his hand back hastily as she giggled and held on to her stomach with one hand and raised the other._**

**_" Sorry, sorry, sorry!" She gasped as the air rushed back in to her lungs followed by a relieving laugh. Swallowing hard she smiled reassuringly at the bewildered expression on his face. " You just touched a ticklish spot on my tail-that's all." Cloud arched a brow and not breaking eye contact grabbed her in the same spot again. Tifa laughed again while staring at him disbelievingly as he kept doing it! She smacked him hard on the arm and Cloud stopped as he chuckled at her reaction. " You are terrible!" Though judging by how she had laughed out these words, he was guessing she didn't think he was SO bad. Once she was calm again Tifa flexed her tail leisurely, then waved a hand over his body._**

**_" So, Cloud? What are these things you're wearing on your body?" Cloud looked down at himself and noted that they probably didn't have shopping malls under the sea. _**

**_" These are called clothes. People wear them because in most parts of the world it's considered indecent to go bare." Cloud's eyes narrowed as he thought over the dynamics of this. " Except men. We're allowed to take our shirts off and no one really cares. But if a girl does it it's either considered indecent or an offer of a sexual favor. I never really understood why that is, though." Tifa took all of this in, surprised at the humans' idea of modesty. However, she was stuck on one word._**

**_" Shirts?" Cloud tugged on the clothes on his chest._**

**_" This. The type I'm wearing is called a t-shirt. No idea why it's called that so don't ask." She nodded obediently and then looked over his body at his other " clothes" and touched him where a proper tail ought to be._**

**_" What other clothes are you wearing?" Cloud drummed his fingers on his own leg._**

**_" These are called pants. We use them to cover our lower halves. The kind I'm wearing now are called jeans. Or in my case, blue jeans. And these," He said, holding up a leg to point at his feet for her to see clearly. " These are called shoes. We wear them to protect our feet because those are pretty sensitive. It hurts sometimes to walk with out shoes on." Tifa ' Ooohed' and looked curiously at his clothes, while in her mind she wondered what in the world feet were. Cloud let his leg drop back down to the ledge and gestured at her bra._**

**_" So what's goi'n on here?" Tifa looked down and poked her woven clothing._**

**_" I wove this myself to cover. It's just called a cover. That's all."_**

**_" So do all the mermaids weave their clothes like that?" Tifa shook her head._**

**_" No. Actually many women are content to just go bare. Some of us are more modest though. We use seaweed, kelp, and seashells to cover ourselves." Cloud raised his eyebrows questioningly and she nodded in confirmation. " Now my turn. What in the world do you call these?" She poked a finger in to his calf and Cloud shrugged._**

**_" Legs."_**

**_" I saw you move around on the rock and the sand with your legs before. What do you call that?" Cloud frowned in confusion. Moved around? Oh!_**

**_" What-you mean this?" Cloud stood up and began walking aimlessly around the rocks and Tifa nodded eagerly._**

**_" Yeah, that!" Cloud shrugged again._**

**_" Walking. It's how we get around." Cloud's brows furrowed in thought. " I guess you could equate it to you swimming to get around." Tifa's eyes lit up at the mention of swimming._**

**_" Yeah, speaking of that: How do you use those to swim?" Tifa looked over his " Legs" again ad shook her head as she tried to imagine him in the water. " They don't look very effective." To answer Cloud began stripping off this clothes and Tifa could only watch as his muscular chest shined in the sunlight, his legs smooth and just as muscular exposed from those confining coverings. His fins looked very strange but she shoved this aside as Cloud now stood before her in nothing but a pair of black boxers. He took position on the ledge the performed a perfect dive in to the water. His body sliced through the waves as he moved, his head braking the surface in no time. Tifa watched from her perch as Cloud performed a series of movements with his arms and legs, tossing his head from side to side to breathe through the waves as he swam. He swam back and forth a few times this way. And she had to admit that for a human he could swim really well. _**

**_The tight, itchy feeling was beginning to spread though her tail again so Tifa took this as her cue to join him. She pushed herself from the rock and let out a small yell as she fell back in to the water. Her stomach lurched and her body tingled as she hit the water. What a thrill! She sighed in relief as her tail became properly hydrated again. Once she ha calmed down from her fall Tifa surfaced as Cloud swam around her. " Okay, so how do you swim below?!" She called. _**

**_" Cone down, I'll show you!" Together they dove down and Tifa watched him, impressed as he moved just as effortlessly in the water. He seemed to have no fear as he swam down, his body moving around the waves as he pushed his arms and kicked his legs under the water. When the need for oxegen became present Cloud began swimming back to the surface and Tifa followed. Together they broke through the water, Cloud using a hand to push back the wet spikes in his eyes. Tifa swam closer to him and gave him an encouraging smile._**

**_" You did pretty good. Guess I take it back then. Your legs aren't so bad in the water." It still boggled his mind to know he was actually swimming with a mermaid. And now that he had shown her what he could do he decided it was time for a switch._**

**_" Thanks. So how do you do it?" Tifa mimicked his earlier move and shrugged._**

**_" Sit on the rocks and I can show you. The view there is pretty good." Cloud nodded and obediently climbed back up to the rock shelf and settled himself down to watch her swim. He wiped the water from his eyes and then looked back at Tifa. When she was sure he was watching she dived in, keeping close to the surface so he could see her clearly. She moved her tail to her body, riding the currents and the flow as she swam around in the water. Repetitive motions she was used to every day. Cloud meanwhile was mesmerized by how she looked in the water. She was fast-that had to be a given. She didn't have to seem to move her tail much to zip from one place to another. Her hair flowed behind her like a silk ribbon, touching her tail which flashed from purple to blue-green then back again as the water played with the reflections of the sun on her body. She flipped over so that now she was on her back in the water. Deciding to show-off a little she crossed her arms under her breasts as she swam backwards, smiling and waving to Cloud from below as she did. _**

**_Cloud snorted as a smirk appeared on his lips and he casually waved back. Her speed had not changed and her movements were just as graceful as before. Now for the finale. Hey, if dolphins could do it, then why couldn't she? Tifa dove down lower, then summer-salted in to position. She snapped her tail in to action, moving much faster than before. She broke the surface and jumped from the water with her body arched perfectly. Tifa felt nothing but pure exhilaration in that moment. She was as free as the sky a she flew over the water. Cloud watched in amazement as she jumped. He felt like he was in some kind of surreal dream as he watched Tifa dive back down to the water. That move was like something straight out of a storybook. Then again, so was she. Smiling Tifa quickly turned around and swam for the surface. She came up and using her arms she swam back over to him. Again she climbed up the small hill of rocks and this time Cloud reached down to her. And without hesitation she took his hand and let him help her back up on to the rock with him. By now her hands were hurting but she pushed this aside in favor of talking to him more._**

**_She swept a portion of hair from her face and let out a breath of pent-up energy. " So how did I do?" Cloud could only tell her the truth._**

**_" That was amazing." Tifa smiled brightly at him at this._**

**_" Thanks. So now that we've established that," She looked over his legs again, taking note of the strange shapes that came with them. " Can you pull your legs up so I can see them?" Cloud scooted back a little from the ledge so that he could rest his legs on the surface near her. Tifa crawled on the ground to get around him so that now she was right next to him, their legs/tail lying side by side out of the water. Like a little girl Tifa reached out and poked his thigh, then his knee, her brow falling as she tilted her head in confusion. " What's this on your leg?"_**

**_" That's my knee." Tifa hummed ponderingly and then reached down to poke the top of his foot._**

**_" What's this?"_**

**_" That's my foot."_**_ ' Oh, so THOSE are the feet he was talking about before with his shoes!' _**_Tifa__ looked in confusion at the small bumps on his " foot" and tugged one lightly. It moved independently from the others but didn't come off. " And that's my toe." He answered for her. " Toes, feet, knees, legs. They're all apart of the same limb and together they help me to move around."_**

**_" Can you move fast with these or just walk?" Cloud got up from the rocks and then looked for a good path. Finding one he nodded and then took a running stance._**

**_" Yeah. Watch." He took a breath then pushed his legs hard and began running. He jumped over some small spaces and then ran around on the ground below her. Tifa watched in amazement and crawled further up on the land to watch him as he moved. He was so fast up here! Much faster than in the water. Now if only his limbs would let him swim like this. " This is called running!" He called to her. Tifa didn't respond, just content to watch as he made his way around the rocks and the shore. Again she started to feel that tight, itchy feeling and she groaned in irritation. She had to get back in the water. She looked to the ledge and let out a frustrated sigh. She crawled too far from the ledge. Already she could feel the rocks scraping her tail with every movement causing them to sting. This wasn't good. She heard Cloud's feet on the rocks and she looked back as he lightened his pace and stopped next to her panting slightly from the exercise. " When I let up my speed like I did now, that's called jogging." Tifa nodded, committing to memory the things he had told her. Cloud noticed the way she fisted her hands she the shallow way she was breathing and instantly was concerned. She didn't look okay like she had before._**

**_" Hey, you okay?" Then she had a thought. _****_Cloud looked strong, but was he? One way to find out. _**

**_" Cloud, can you help me back in to the water? It's getting uncomfortable here." Cloud walked over to her and then bent his knees down so that he was resting on his feet. Tifa raised a brow at this act, although this wasn't the first time she had seen him do it. "And what are you-?"_**

**_" Crouching." He said, having not missed her curious expression. " Now what's wrong?"_**_ '_ _Not one to beat around the seaweed, is he?'** Tifa scooted closer to him-and winces as the rocks scraped her tail painfully.**_

_**" It's my tail. I can't be out of the water for vey long or else it starts getting tight and itchy. And it hurts to move it now." Cloud started at this information and instantly felt like smacking himself at his own question. She was a mermaid for crying out loud. OF COURSE she couldn't be up here like this!**_

_**" Okay. Here." Cloud moved so that one knee was on the ground as he got close to her and wrapped and arm around her waist. Tifa felt her heart begin beating faster at the contact as he held her close to him. " Put your arm around my neck. I'll carry you back down." Tifa moved and wrapped one arm around his neck and the other to grip his shoulder. " You good?" She nodded and Cloud reached out and slid his hand under her tail. With a small grunt he lifted her from the ground. Tifa gasped at the sudden increase of height and she held on tightly to him. Cloud bounced her in his arms lightly, adjusting his hold on her. She was heavy, but not unbearably so. He could feel most of the weight from her tail more than anything. And it didn't feel as slick as before. She WAS drying out. He didn't want to just toss her in to the water. Somehow that seemed rude. Instead he carefully began waking down a steep incline a step below where they had been talking. As he walked he decided to explain it to her.**_

_**" You're drying out. That's what's wrong. Water doesn't exist to the same extent up here as it does down there. The air around us causes you to lose the water you had and you dry out. Humans aren't affected by it because that's just how we're built. You on the other hand are at risk up here." By now they had reached the shore which was dotted with sand, small rocks and seashells. Cloud walked in to the water, the waves washing over his feet, then past his knees and now he was waist-deep in water. The moment the water touched her tail the relief was instant. Her Tail felt rejuvenated as the water rippled over her. The salt made her tail sting a little, but she knew from experience that would go away soon enough.**_

_**They stayed like this for some time. For reasons he didn't feel like putting thought in to, Cloud couldn't bring himself to let her go just yet. The water buoyed her so that holding her now was easy. He knew she was feeling better by the way her tail seemed to relax in his hold, whereas before it was tense. Tifa was in a similar state as Cloud held her. She had never been held like this. Not since she was a very little girl and her father had carried her around. But this was very different. Cloud was definitely not her father. Though one thing about them both remained the same: She felt absolutely safe in his arms. Suddenly they both seemed to realize the positions they were in and Cloud cleared is throat nervously as Tifa tried to look anywhere but at him.**_

_**" Sooo, you feel okay now?" Tifa swallowed and then looked up at him-and her heart sped up again at the way his eyes focused on her.**_

_**" Um, mm-hmmm. Thank you." Cloud let her go gently and she slid her arms away from him, letting her tail push her backwards away from him. Cloud looked at the sky, noticing it was getting late. How long had he been gone now? And he didn't have his cell with him. It was in his jean pocket. But he was pretty sure there was a missed call from his mom on there.**_

_**" I gotta go. I've been out awhile now. Mom's probably tried calling me already." Tifa looked down, disappointed that their time together was being cut like this. But he was probably right. If her tail drying out hadn't been clear enough, it was time for her to go back home too.**_

_**" You're right. I think I should head back too. But," She swept her hair back, mildly baffled by the way it moved now that it was " drying out" and she swam close to him again. " Do you think we can talk more tomorrow?" Cloud mulled this over in his mind. He never came home with homework, since study hall was his last class and he was usually able to finish it there. If not it should only take him half and hour at most to do whatever homework he might have left over. He should be able to come back by around five or so.**_

_**" Sure, once I get back from school. So it'll be later in the afternoon." Tifa puzzled over this. The only school she knew of was a school of fish.**_

_**" What, you travel with a lot of people?" Cloud rolled his eyes at that, knowing where her mind was going and imagining the congested hallways of the place he called hell.**_

_**" Pretty much. School to us is where you go to learn about reading, writing, math, history and whatever else the teachers want to bore you with." Tifa giggled at the sarcastic way he talked about his school. Sometimes that was how she felt about Aeris. **_

_**" I understand. I have that too, but we just call them sessions." She stared casually. " So then we'll**_**_ meet again tomorrow? After school?" Cloud nodded and hummed in agreement._**

**_" Yeah. I'll be here." Tifa smiled brightly at him._**

**_" Then I'll wait." Cloud sighed then began jogging back up the slope where he came. Tifa watched him pick up his jeans and then turn to face her. She swam out to the sea and waved at him. " Bye, Cloud! See you tomorrow!" Cloud lifted a hand and gave her a single wave, giving her a small smile. She smiled brightly for him in return, then dove down to the water below. And like before he tail arched in and out of the water for only him to see._**

* * *

**_And that's it! So just to explain what Cloud was doing to Tifa before, there's a spot on your knee that can be very ticklish if pinched or grabbed in a certain way. It's a pressure point and supposedly if you feel ticklish there, that means you're boy crazy. Though I'm ticklish anyways so my mom does it to me all the time. -.- _**

**_Anyways that's pretty much the equivalent of what Cloud was doing to Tifa when he tickled her. That dog, lol. Please R&amp;R and bless your happy happiness!_**


End file.
